Community Corner

Local Pest Control Company Gives Back During Coronavirus Shutdown

See what creative things Men in Black Pest Control is doing to help during these challenging times.

See what creative things Men in Black Pest Control is doing to help during these challenging times.
See what creative things Men in Black Pest Control is doing to help during these challenging times. (Lauren Hicks)

NAPERVILLE, IL — A Naperville-area pest control company is going the extra mile to help out the community during the coronavirus shutdown. Here are some of the things they're up to.

Running Errands For Senior Citizens

Men in Black Pest control recently posted on social media that they would run errands for local senior citizens free of charge.

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The company's president and CEO Lauren Hicks told Patch, "The earliest sign was that this Covid 19 virus, unlike SARS, was targeting our seniors hardest, so we decided to start there by offering to pick up things like prescriptions and groceries for them."

The generous offer applies to anyone within 15 miles of Naperville, according to a post shared on the Facebook group What's Happening in Naperville, IL? They added that their team is volunteering to take care of these needs for the next two or three weeks.

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Those who run the errands will be equipped with N95 respirators and gloves in an effort not to spread the coronavirus. Hicks said that due to the current shelter-in-place order, they are currently only running errands for essential needs like food and prescriptions.

To set up an errand with Men in Black Pest Control, call 630-901-3261.

Donating Items To Local Hospitals

Hicks told Patch Men in Black Pest Control went through its inventory of personal protective equipment and donated what it could to Edward Hospital in Naperville.

These items included:

  • Sets of P100 cartridges
  • Face mask respirators
  • Nitrile exam gloves

Hicks said these items were donated "to the incredible staff over at Edward Hospital in the hopes of helping keep them and their families safe."

Helping Local Food Pantries

Hicks told Patch the company is also "working on getting some much needed food together for DuPage Pads as well as Hesed and possibly West Suburban Food pantry."

Helping Local Parents

As local parents deal with the current stay-at-home order and school closures, Hicks said Men in Black Pest Control found a way to help them too. She said baskets were delivered to front doors in the area to help parents cope.

The baskets, provided with the help of other local companies, included:

  • A DVD
  • An Orange Box Art kit
  • A gift certificate to De'Etta's Bakery or Pepe's in Naperville
  • A Cubs World Series lanyard from Pro Jersey Sports in Bolingbrook
  • A bottle of wine from Leo's Liquors in Woodridge

Men In Black Pest Control is doing all this while remaining open. Hicks said," Our technicians are under very strict protocol to wear gloves and respirators during all services, protecting them as well as our customers."

As for how else the Men in Black Pest Control plans to help the community, Hicks said, "We're brainstorming constantly and have some other ideas in the works, but I guess you'll just have to wait and see what we come up with next!"

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