Behind the counter, beyond the call
When crisis strikes, these are the team members who show up, stay steady and keep going.
From 9/11 to Hurricane Sandy to COVID-19, pharmacy manager Eleonora Stravets has been a constant and a calm for her patients in uncertain times.
When history interrupted daily life, Eleonora Stravets kept the pharmacy doors—and her sense of purpose—open.
“I knew that if I’m scheduled, I’m here no matter what,” she says. “It doesn’t matter what’s outside.”
She showed up not to prove a point, but because patients depended on her.
Stravets has been a Walgreens pharmacy manager at store 14444 in Brooklyn, NY, since 2001 and a Walgreens team member since 1999. Over more than two decades, she has worked through historic moments that shaped both New York and the nation, including the Sept. 11 attacks, the Northeast blackout of 2003, hurricanes Irene and Sandy, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Pharmacy is my entire world,” she says. “It’s not just my job. It’s who I am.”
A journey rooted in care
Stravets came to the U.S. from Ukraine in 1992, newly married and raising a young child. She began working as a pharmacy technician at a small independent pharmacy in Brooklyn, learning the business while also learning a new country.
“A few years later, I decided I’m going to go for it,” she says. “I’m going to college.”
In 1999, that independent pharmacy was acquired by Duane Reade, now part of Walgreens. Stravets continued her education, became a pharmacy intern and, in 2001, a supervising pharmacist. She has remained at the same Brooklyn location ever since.
“I see customers who I met when they were pregnant,” she says. “I was dispensing prenatal vitamins, and now their kids are finishing college.”
Pharmacy is my entire world, it’s not just my job. It’s who I am.
Eleonora Stravets
Pharmacy Manager,
store 14444 in Brooklyn, New York
Showing up when it matters most
That continuity became especially meaningful during moments of crisis.
During the Northeast blackout in July 2003, when power went out across New York City in the middle of a heat wave, Stravets didn’t leave.
“Everything went blank—refrigerators, everything,” she says. “But I didn’t go home.”
Instead, she sat outside the store in a beach chair with a flashlight, ready to help patients get emergency medications when needed.
“I stayed outside by the store, waiting for people to come,” she says. “The store manager stayed in the store for days, sleeping in the window. I would go home at night, and then come back again.”
Each emergency looked different. Her response never did.
During 9/11, only weeks after she stepped into her pharmacy manager role, the city and her customers changed overnight.
“The most touching thing was everybody calling each other, asking, ‘Is everyone OK?’” she says. “People were the most patient, the most understanding I’ve ever seen.”
Even retail pressures faded, if only briefly.
“Everybody was kinder to one another,” she says. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
COVID-19: An unprecedented test
Nothing, however, compared to COVID-19.
“Oh, boy,” Stravets says, pausing. “I get shivers just thinking about it.”
Her store was in one of the hardest-hit regions in the country: New York City. When Walgreens began offering COVID-19 vaccinations, demand was relentless.
“It was seniors at first, and people came from everywhere,” she says. “Every 10 or 15 minutes we had an appointment. People waited all day.”
All of it happened while prescriptions continued to pile up.
“Physically, I don’t know what gave me strength,” she says. “I don’t know how it was possible, but we did it.”
During that time, Stravets reached out to her regional manager with a candid email about fear and exhaustion. The response stayed with her.
“She came in the next day just to comfort the team,” Stravets says. “Just to tell us we’ll get through it. It brought tears to my eyes.”
Behind the scenes, Walgreens’ Security Operations Center was also working around the clock—monitoring weather, tracking risks, communicating alerts, and helping keep stores open and teams informed during fast-moving emergencies like COVID-19 surges and severe storms.
That quiet support mattered.
“Just knowing someone is watching and helping, 24/7, gives peace of mind,” Stravets says.
More than prescriptions
For Stravets, dedication doesn’t end with closing time.
She recalls staying more than an hour past close to track down a medication for a patient in need.
“My family kept calling because they were worried,” she says. “But I found it.”
Days later, the patient returned with flowers.
“Patients tell me what’s happening with their families, their health,” she says. “Sometimes they just call to talk.”
After decades in the same store, Stravets knows birthdays, family histories and, in some cases, generations.
“They’re not a number,” she says.
‘It’s just who I am’
Despite the long hours and high-stakes moments, Stravets doesn’t see herself as extraordinary.
“I don’t consider myself a hero,” she says. “It’s just who I am. I do what I do, and I live how I live.”
That commitment has defined her entire career and her life.
“I’ve stayed here 26 years and never looked elsewhere,” she says. “Retail isn’t easy. But this is my life.”
And when the next storm, emergency or historic moment arrives, she knows exactly where she’ll be.
“If I’m scheduled,” she says, “I’ll be here.”
I don’t consider myself a hero, it’s just who I am. I do what I do, and I live how I live.
Eleonora Stravets
Pharmacy manager, store 14444 in Brooklyn, New York
A legacy of caring for team members
Long before moments like hurricanes, blackouts and pandemics tested Walgreens team members, the company established a quiet but lasting way to care for one another.
The Walgreen Benefit Fund was created in 1939 following the passing of founder Charles R. Walgreen Sr. In his will, Walgreen donated 2,500 shares—valued at $50,000 at the time—to launch a fund dedicated to supporting employees facing unexpected and overwhelming hardship.
His vision was simple and enduring: Make sure team members are never left alone during life’s most difficult moments—whether caused by natural disasters, medical emergencies or personal crises. More than 80 years later, the fund remains true to that purpose.
For team members who show up for their communities—like Eleonora Stravets—the fund remains part of the safety net that helps Walgreens care for its own.
87
Years the Walgreen Benefit Fund has existed
9,741
Approved grants in the past six years alone
1,345
Total grants awarded in FY26
$2,100
Average grant amount in FY26
$13+ million
Granted to team members over the last six years
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