Less than a month ago, Molly Seidel became known as the barista who qualified for the Olympics in her first-ever marathon at the U.S. Olympic marathon trials. That description always needed more context, given Seidel’s accomplished running resumé, but now, that label requires another revision.
The local Boston coffee shop where Seidel worked was forced to close its doors and lay off workers, due to the restrictions put in place in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Seidel was a barista, but now she is one of millions of workers around the country dealing with job loss amid the COVID-19 crisis.