My plan to volunteer with Meals on Wheels delivering food to the community hasn’t panned our yet due solely to the massive influx of volunteers since the pandemic began that have accounted for all the necessary volunteer activities. This is no way a bad thing so I just needed to figure out another way in which I could contribute.
So I looked to my very local community, my next door neighbors. One is a retired gentlemen in his 70s who’s been self isolating since beginning of March. His daughter and delivery services has been bringing him food, but he’s been unable to attend to his front yard garden boxes due to their close proximity to the street and potential exposure. So I’ve able to help him out with that acquiring, planting, and tending to asparagus crowns, tomato starters, and a variety of seeds.
Additionally — and this one has been a lot of fun for me — I have some neighbors with two young children. It’s been a challenge for them homeschooling the eldest while trying to work full time in one of their cases and trying to find and hold down online contract work in the other’s case. I also helped them prep and start up their vegetable garden, but the fun part is playing the mysterious “Wandering Fairy”. I’ve been finding things around my house — coloring sheets, a colorful streamer I got for my nephews to play with when they come for visits — and making breads and cookies and leaving them on their porch when they go on their daily walk around the block with a note that says “From the Wandering Fairy”. The kids don’t know the actual sender and they been able to build up this imaginary world where there is a fairy sending them gifts. Sometimes I’ve been able to hide on my porch and watch from a far as they find the gift and I relish in their surprise and excitement.
Next month I hope to be able to pick up some shifts with Meals on Wheels including the new service they’ve just implement of calling their clients to check in on them and engage them in conversation to help with their emotional health.
