Here are some of the heroes rising from the coronavirus pandemic – CNN

But from chaos comes heroes.

Despite so much uncertainty and with lives indefinitely upended, people and communities are still coming together to support one another. Here are some of the ways people are lending a hand through individual acts and large-scale efforts.

For millions of students, school closures mean no reliable access to meals.

Some districts have implemented plans to continue making food available to students who need it. But restaurants -- some dealing with business loss because of the outbreak -- have also risen to help meet the need.

Restaurant owners in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, met to discuss what they were going to do to keep their businesses going as the pandemic restricted how they could serve customers, said Caf Gelato owner Doug Lammers. Then, he said, the conversation turned to how they could help.

So, until further notice, his shop is offering meals to children in need.

And other establishments are reaching out to their communities in their time of need as well.

"Our family welcomes your family in this time of need," said a post on Instagram signed by Laura and the White Duck Taco Shop family. "We can all get through this together."

Contributing to hourly workers' wages

Hourly workers, who don't have sick days and whose jobs are threatened because of orders to shut down or limit the hours of restaurants, bars and stores, are already experiencing financial strain.

Customers have been digging into their pockets to help their servers weather the times.

The check specified that the tip on the $29.75 bill was to be split equally between five staff members, each specified by name.

The receipt said to "hold tip to pay your guys over the next few weeks."

Split over 30 employees, that came out to about $300 each, Galvan said.

"They were amazed that a client would care enough about them to leave that amount to help them get through this tough time," Galvan said.

Providing resources to those most affected

Jayde Powell is a "shopping angel."

"As a pre-med student, I know that people who are older or people who have heart, lung or immune conditions are especially at risk for contracting the virus," Powell, a University of Nevada, Reno student, told CNN. "We're doing this to try and reach out to people who might feel that they are just completely alone in this situation."

The assistance goes beyond delivery. Powell has created a GoFundMe for older adults who can't afford to get the things they need.

In Minnesota, healthcare workers who are pressed to serve more and more patients as the virus spreads have gotten help at home from University of Minnesota Medical School students.

What started with two second-year medical students became an operation with more than 280 students in three days.

"I've never met a lot of the people on this team and am convinced they are superheroes in disguise," said Sara Lederman, one of the founding students. "Everyone's superpowers are coming out. We are realizing so many of our classmates have incredible skills and talents that we didn't know about until now."

Restoring faith in humanity

Some people are using music to bridge the distance the outbreak has imposed on their communities.

"It was one of those moments where you feel like you're a part of something incredible," Rebecca Tien, the children's mother, told CNN. "It was also a good way to remember the value of connection, especially at a time like this when everyone feels disconnected. Just to know we were a part of something so sweet, even just for a minute, meant a lot."

For Emmanuel Maira Mallen and his wife, mariachi was the way to give back.

He woke up Saturday morning to a slew of frightening posts about coronavirus on his Facebook feed, he said. Hoping to brighten someone else's day, the couple decided to hire a mariachi to play in a San Antonio area H-E-B grocery store.

The energy was tense when he (and the band) walked in, he said. The store didn't know they were coming, and employees struggled to meet customers' needs through an air of panic. No one was talking, he said. No one smiled.

But when the music began, he saw laughter and people began to dance. The whole atmosphere changed, he said. A video of the performance has been shared around Facebook, expanding the impact of his act beyond what he ever imagined.

"We wanted to do something small for our community and bring some laughter and now that it has reached millions of views, I'm pretty sure we put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces," Mallen said.

CNN's Alaa Elassar, David Williams and Lauren Lee contributed to this report.

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Here are some of the heroes rising from the coronavirus pandemic - CNN