Human Interest Alaskan Man Makes Weekly 14-Hour Boat Trips to Costco to Keep His City Fed amid Pandemic Icy Strait Wholesale owner Toshua Parker lives in the Alaskan city of Gustavus, which is only accessible by boat or plane By Joelle Goldstein Joelle Goldstein Instagram Twitter Joelle Goldstein is the Staff Editor of TV for PEOPLE Digital. She has been with the brand for five years, beginning her time as a digital news writer, where she covered everything from entertainment news to crime stories and royal tours. Since then, she has worked as a writer-reporter on the Human Interest team and an associate editor on the TV team. In her current role, Joelle helps oversee all things TV, and enjoys being able to say she has to watch The Kardashians, America's Got Talent, Love Is Blind and Dancing with the Stars for her "work" responsibilities. Prior to joining PEOPLE, Joelle was employed at The Hollywood Reporter, where she was co-nominated at the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Magazine Article for feature cover story. She graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelor's degree in Television-Radio (and an appearance in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Final Four!) People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 18, 2020 03:48 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Costco. A man from Alaska is refusing to let his city go hungry amid the coronavirus pandemic — and he's doing it one Costco trip at a time. Since March, Gustavus resident Toshua Parker has been taking weekly boat trips to the Juneau Costco in order to restock on food and supplies for his small city, which is only accessible by boat or plane, according to CNN. Parker — who owns Icy Strait Wholesale, the only place to buy groceries in Gustavus — uses a 96-foot long converted military landing craft to travel with his staff to the state's capital 50 miles away, a journey that takes them 14 hours roundtrip, the outlet reported. "It's funny because for us, this doesn't seem like a big deal," Parker explained to CNN. "Alaskans are fiercely independent and resourceful; you really have to be to survive here." "When a problem arises, we don't typically look to someone else for help, we just find a way to do it," he added. Prior to the outbreak of the virus, Parker's store had been receiving shipments from the local Costco via Alaska's ferry system. However, the pandemic, along with severe storms that damaged the city's dock, caused the ferry to stop operating, CNN reported. This left the residents of Gustavus wondering how they would obtain food and other essentials to survive. Knowing there were no other options, Parker and his staff jumped into action. N.C. Woman Inspired by Grandfather Does Grocery Runs for Elderly Neighbors amid Coronavirus Consulting with local fishermen, the group decided to make the weekly boat trips based on tides and weather, according to the outlet. "The town needed to be supplied with groceries so we just did whatever it took to make that happen," Parker told CNN. "Just another day in our world." Their process is simple: once the boat docks in Juneau, the group buys the supplies in the store and then loads them onto their ship before returning home to Gustavus. On days where inclement weather hits during their trip, the group turns around and stays in Juneau, keeping their groceries in coolers until it is safe to reembark on the waters and travel home, CNN reported. Parker has even been documenting some of their bulk purchases on the Facebook page of Icy Strait Wholesale, which is referred to as ToshCo by the city's 450 residents. "No reason for panic buying. Our supply chain may be occasionally delayed but it’s holding," Parker wrote on April 3 beside a photo featuring several cases of cans, flour and confectioners sugar. "We’ve got you covered Gustavus!" RELATED VIDEO: How a Canceled Event Inspired This Food Caterer to Give Back to Frontline Workers Locals have been quick to credit Parker for his actions, but the small business owner told the outlet it's his employees who are the real heroes, noting how they are "going to work every day during this pandemic to make sure our town stays supplied." Parker also said he is confident that whatever gets thrown their way, he and his staff will find a way to make it work. "Next year it will be another obstacle to overcome and we'll buck up and deal with it," he told CNN. As of Monday, there have been over 1.5 million cases and 89,812 deaths attributed to coronavirus in the United States, according to The New York Times. Alaska has recorded some of the lowest numbers, with at least 396 cases and eight deaths reported, according to the Times. As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.