Honoring Frontline Females: YALIANYS ‘YALI’ ROQUE

Yalianys Roque, “Yali” for short, was 13 when her family moved from Cuba to Marathon. She was 15 when she started working at Publix after school, on weekends and every summer.

“I was a bagger, a cashier, a pharmacy technician and customer service associate. Then I started management training when I was 22,” said Roque, 37, who is now customer service manager at the Key Plaza location in Key West. But she has worked at every Publix throughout the Keys.

“This company is all I know,” she said laughing. “It takes care of its workers, its customers and our communities.”

Never has that commitment been more evident than after a hurricane and during this pandemic. Anyone who stayed in the Florida Keys for Hurricane Irma recalls with a lump in their throat the reassuring sight of a stocked Publix truck making its way down U.S. 1.

And in March 2020, almost overnight, the world changed. Customers had to be masked and separated. Supply shortages necessitated purchase limits to ensure that as many people as possible could buy toilet paper, paper towels or Clorox wipes. Shopping carts and touch-points had to be sanitized hourly. Stickers were added to the floor to ensure social distancing. The store offered early hours for senior shoppers and curbside grocery pickup for everyone.

The CDC’s safety guidelines seemed to change hourly, with Roque and her associates constantly adjusting their protocols and policies.

“My top priority is always to make sure our associates are providing the best service and shopping experience to our customers, and yes, there have been challenges during the pandemic, but so many people have been so appreciative of our efforts, it’s been so gratifying to be a part of it.”

Jim McCarthy is one of the many Western New Yorkers who escaped the snow and frigid temperatures for warm living by the water. A former crime & court reporter and city editor for two Western New York newspapers, Jim has been honing his craft since he graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2014. In his 4-plus years in the Keys, Jim has enjoyed connecting with the community. “One of my college professors would always preach to be curious,” he said. “Behind every person is a story that’s unique to them, and one worth telling. As writers, we are the ones who paint the pictures in the readers minds of the emotions, the struggles and the triumphs.” Jim is past president of the Key Largo Sunset Rotary Club, which is composed of energetic members who serve the community’s youth and older populations. Jim is a sports fanatic who loves to watch football, hockey, mixed martial arts and golf. He also enjoys time with family and his new baby boy, Lucas, who arrived Oct. 4, 2022.