Meet Anna!

Anna Piatak, a cashier at a local Food Lion, is making her mark in the workforce.

A Virginia native, Anna grew up in Smithfield and was referred to VersAbility/Hired Hands from DARS (Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services) in November of 2019.

From there, Anna was placed with a job coach who spoke to her about her interests, what type of job she might like, and then researched opportunities for Anna where she knew she could thrive.

Then came 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. It took some time, but Anna finally found a job she was truly excited about.

In January 2021, Anna applied for a cashier position Food Lion. She was ecstatic to learn she had landed a position, although it was not what she thought. Due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was asked to do sanitation work throughout the store as they had just lost the person who was completing that work. Anna agreed, but asked that she be trained on the register when it was possible.

She has taken her sanitation job very seriously over the past few months and has shown her dedication to the company and the safety of their customers. Her manager couldn’t help but notice her strong work ethic and thought it was time to train her as a cashier.

Anna is happier than ever as she is now able to be a cashier and maintain helping sanitize the store.

Her manager recently said, “Anna is doing phenomenally!”

Anna feels empowered doing a job she loves and knows that she continues contributing to the health and safety of each customer who walks through their doors.

Lisa, Anna’s job coach, recently said, “What a pleasure it has been working with Anna! Throughout all of our Zoom meetings when COVID-19 was in full swing, to starting her training at Food Lion, Anna always had a great attitude and was willing to do whatever it took to be successful at her job. I have really seen Anna thrive working at Food Lion, not only in her tasks, but also in the way that she interacts with the customers and her co-workers. She has become quite popular! I think that Anna will only continue to grow while at Food Lion, and who knows where it will take her!”

When Anna isn’t working, she likes to shop and go out with her friends. She also enjoys watching Netflix.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication, Anna! We are all so proud of you!