MIDLAND, Texas — Mass COVID-19 vaccinations couldn't happen in West Texas without volunteers.
One group of these volunteers has been called into action by the city of Midland.
They're members of Team Rubicon.
They call themselves gray shirts and the people who wear them are always ready to lend a hand.
"We respond to disasters and give medical assistance. Since the pandemic we've moved into feeding America and testing sites. Now that we're into the vaccinations we're putting everything into this effort to stop the pandemic and assisting where needed," Jarrett Brown, field leader said.
So far the Midland vaccination team has given 10,000 vaccines.
And with more vaccine doses being delivered, the need for more help was greater.
"Our tasks here in Midland are administrative support and traffic control," Brown said.
And Team Rubicon is happy to oblige.
"While it's not tearing down walls and tarping roofs like normal, being able to interact with the civilian population and learn some of the medical side of things and traffic control and interacting with people on a more personal level than we normally would is a very different experience, but it also allows us to extend where and how we can help," Chase Adams, logistics section chief said.
The Horseshoe is getting a new batch of volunteers each week and it was all made possible by a generous donation from the Abell-Hanger Foundation.
"People have even come back and given us cookies, homemade cookies because they're just so thankful for everything that's going on here," Jamie Carlile, safety officer said.
The reward of gratitude is what's making all those hours standing in the parking lot worth it.
"We're here til we kick the pandemic out of the United States," Brown said.