As we honor our volunteers this April, Volunteer Appreciation Month, we highlights these two service details shared by Melissa Bryant and Chris Willson.
Melissa Bryant:
How did you navigate this global pandemic as a virtual volunteer?
At the onset of the COVID- 19 pandemic, I continued to volunteer as usual, visiting the apartment of Marianne, the recipient of my service, to read her mail, fill out checks, write birthday cards, and organize files. As more information about the nature and severity of the virus came out, I began adopting various safety measures, including wearing a face mask and maintaining six feet of distance between Marianne and me when volunteering. Eventually, Marianne and I devised a way for me to volunteer virtually.
What creative adaptations did you incorporate?
In order for me to volunteer virtually, Marianne purchased a Penfriend audio labeler for me to take home. Every other week we coordinated our schedules. One day Marianne leaves her mail in her lobby with the apartment complex manager, the next day I pick up her mail, the following day I call Marianne from my home and read her mail using the Penfriend labels to identify envelopes, and the day after that I return her mail to the apartment complex manager.
Chris Willson:
How did you navigate this global pandemic as a virtual volunteer?
Not volunteering wasn’t an option because the person I help, Marianne, needed groceries. Marianne used to come with me to the grocery store, and then when we got back to her apartment, I would bring the groceries up and help her unload them. After the Pandemic hit, I would just pick up a list from Marianne, pick up the groceries myself and then drop them off outside her building when done. This made it so Marianne didn’t have to go indoors at the Grocery store and kept me from going indoors to Marianne’s apartment building.
What creative adaptations did you incorporate?
Sometimes we would get friends of Marianne’s who lived in the same building to help bring thingsup to Marianne’s apartment, so as to limit me from going inside her building.
