DOWNEY — Vallarta Supermarket will open at 7 am Wednesday specifically for senior citizens, pregnant women, and people with disabilities.

Councilman Rick Rodriguez said he spoke to local grocery stores and made the request after hearing from frightened residents.

“I spoke with Vallarta and Amapola markets to see if they could extend hours for seniors and our most vulnerable people,” said Rodriguez. “Vallarta was the first to jump on board. They said, ‘Let’s do this.”

From 7-8 am, all Vallarta locations, including the Downey store, will open only for seniors and vulnerable residents. Staff will be on hand to help shoppers load their carts and vehicles.

“I heard it all the time, seniors were afraid to go in and fight crowds over a roll of toilet paper,” Rodriguez said.

Amapola hasn’t signed on to the early hours just yet, Rodriguez said, but the council member hopes other grocery stores will follow Vallarta’s example.

“These are the stories we need to be hearing about right now,” Rodriguez said, “the positive stories about Downey coming together.”