'I am essential': Family sells T-shirts to raise money for COVID-19 relief

Pat Bastian and his family wearing his shirts
Photo credit Courtesy of Pat Bastian
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The word "essential" has been heard a lot over the last seven weeks. A Chester County family is wearing the word over their hearts to help people hurt by the virus and to thank the workers who keep food supplies rolling. 

Pat Bastian of West Chester says truck drivers are the unseen heroes keeping grocery store shelves stocked. Bastian manages Leonard's Express, a food distribution firm in New Castle, Delaware. 

"To me, it's borderline scary, what would happen if, like, truck drivers started to get sick,” Bastian said. 

He says that would interrupt the food supply chain and impact all of us. 

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So Bastian and his family created and trademarked the phrase "I Am Essential to Keep America Going,” and put it on a T-shirt to spread the word.

"The front of them is a design that my nephew, Patrick, made, which is "I am essential." And they come in a variety of designs. We have a keystone, we have the state of New Jersey, we have the American flag,” he said. 

Bastian says proceeds from the T-shirts and magnets with the phrase "I Am Essential to Fight COVID-19" benefit the Coronavirus Relief Fund, a nonprofit raising money to get medical supplies to health care workers and to help families impacted by the virus.