If a picture’s worth a thousand words, then this collection of images is priceless.
WBA Magazine asked colleagues around the world to share photos of moments that meant something to them as they looked back on the last year and all that has changed during COVID-19.
These are their lives, and these are their photos.
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An empty, eerie Manhattan after the first lockdown in March 2020 sent the city home. CDC billboards begin urging locals to stay home if they feel sick and practice social distancing.
Photo by Eleonora Stravets, pharmacist in Brooklyn, N.Y., Duane Reade
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Lindy Webster, Lori Atkins and Jamie Schroud of the Location Control team at the Walgreens distribution center in Windsor, Wis., pack up an emergency order of disinfectant wipes.
Photo by Tim Schmelzer, function manager at Windsor, Wis., distribution center, Walgreens
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A line of Pharmacy Delivery & Collect (PDC) drivers from Teesside, England, ready to do their deliveries and collections for the day during the height of the pandemic.
Photo by Julie Camm, PDC regional operations manager, Boots UK
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Many colleagues from Boots UK volunteered to test National Health Service (NHS) workers at one of the first Boots NHS COVID-19 testing centers in Nottingham, England.
Photo by Amanda Merry, senior optical consultant, Boots UK
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During Jennifer Ponce’s time working at home, she took a new hobby: painting rocks. When she later transitioned back to the office, she hid the rocks around the Deerfield, Ill., headquarters for others to find.
Photo by Jennifer Ponce, specialist, Security Operations Center, Walgreens
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A group of volunteers from Boots UK and Boots Opticians participate in the “clap for carers,” to show appreciation and support for the NHS, while onsite at the Nottingham COVID-19 testing center.
Photo by Neil Jones, senior manager of corporate social responsibility, WBA
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Inspirational notes, created by Kim Anderson’s daughter and her friend, were brought to a Walgreens specialty pharmacy in Minnesota, where the pharmacy team would hand them out to patients picking up prescriptions.
Photo by Kim Anderson, regional account manager, Walgreens
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Teams found fun and safe ways to keep spirits high despite the pandemic, such as this group from Global Brands Asia that danced in the office showroom to celebrate a colleague’s retirement.
Photo by Berry Yum, head of QESD, Global Brands Asia
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While large gatherings were prohibited due to the potential spread of COVID-19, some couples – like Kamila Zlotnicki and her husband, Andrew – opted for small celebrations instead. The couple took a day off work and eloped at City Hall in Chicago in the presence of a judge, clerk and photographer.
Photo by Kamila Zlotnicki, senior business analyst, Healthcare Services, Walgreens
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There were weddings – and also babies! Meet baby Lenoard, new to the Walgreens crew, born April 22, 2020.
Photo by Anna Wenger, senior manager, Integrated Marketing Planning, Walgreens
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A rainbow and heart-shaped cloud hang over the Boots COVID-19 testing site in Sheffield, England, signaling brighter days ahead.
Photo by Sara Rowland, TITLE, Boots UK
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COVID-19 called for difficult times for everyone, but little acts of kindness – like this knitted friend made for Boots optometrist Shahid Mughal by a customer visiting during the pandemic – managed to bring smiles to their faces.
Photo by Rebecca Andrew, Boots Opticians UK
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This memory wall was created at Boots UK’s first ever drive-thru testing site at its headquarters D90 office back in March. In the photos are Boots Opticians store colleagues from stores across Nottingham, who volunteered to conduct the tests.
Photo by Mike Simmonds, Assistant Recruitment Programs Manager, Boots Opticians
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Walgreens pharmacist Eleonora Stravets holds a vaccine vial, capturing the turning point in late December 2020 when pharmacists began vaccinating the most vulnerable at long-term care facilities.
Photo by Eleonora Stravets, pharmacist in Brooklyn, N.Y., Duane Reade
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In partnership with Uber, Walgreens organized vaccine clinics at local churches in Atlanta in March 2021, giving community members a familiar place to receive their COVID-19 vaccine among trusted friends and leaders.
Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser
