Caremongering. Contagious kindness. Social supporting.
By any name, it's the same, and it's happening in Collingwood during the COVID-19 shutdowns and isolations. As government and health officials encourage Canadians to stay at home and avoid physical closeness, a community of do-gooders seeks to maintain community closeness.
In Collingwood that has meant volunteer delivery drivers, great toilet paper quests, and some creative neighbourhood scavenger hunts.
Here are just some of the local people helping local people through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marilyn King-Lawrence
The former order of Collingwood recipient and this year’s companion to the order of Collingwood recipient is no stranger to volunteering.
In fact, it was her volunteer work that left her with several cases of toilet paper a few weeks before the pandemic declaration and toilet paper hoarding began.
King-Lawrence helps coordinate fundraising for Team Diabetes and had the donated toilet paper ready for one of the online flash sale fundraisers.
While King-Lawrence was in a local store, she witnessed a senior woman unable to find any toilet paper on the shelves.
Upset by what she saw, King-Lawrence offered the senior a ride home with her groceries, and supplied her with two packs of toilet paper.
From there word spread, and with the help of volunteer drivers, four cases King-Lawrence’s fundraiser toilet paper has been delivered to seniors in the community. That’s about 15 to 20 people who received help.
“Better than none and what a great use of a donation,” said King-Lawrence.
But she didn’t stop at just practical pandemic help.
Her next idea was to inject a little community competition and art into the new separation routines on her street.
She noticed a plan to start window scavenger hunts in neighbourhoods and put her own spin on it. She had poster-sized artwork created for a previous Team Diabetes fundraiser and featuring well-known celebrity subjects.
She’s posting a new one in her window every day and encouraging people to guess who is depicted in the artwork and submit their guesses to her on Facebook, or on a note in her mailbox.
At the end of the 21-day contest, there’s a family prize for the most correct guesses. The posters will be sold later for charity.
“I thought it would encourage exercise and community involvement,” said Lawrence-King. “Get out as a family, get some fresh air, take the dog for a walk … this forced vacation for a lot of people can be a good thing and being family and doing activities you might not normally have the time for is a big part of it, I think.”
Charlene Van Evera
A local mom started a group on Facebook called “Let’s Do This Collingwood!” because she became concerned about people in the community who needed help and didn’t know where to ask.
“I felt like people needed a bit of direction and a place they can go to find out what they need,” said Van Evera. “Our neighbours are struggling and we as a community can stand together and make sure we all continue to care for one another.”
Members of the group post things like which grocery store has toilet paper, or which one is open for seniors in the morning. Other posters will offer free food and supplies to those in need, or will volunteer to deliver someone’s groceries to allow them to stay home.
“There has been a huge group reaching out asking for help and that’s what we are here for,” said Van Evera. “Moms without toilet paper and baby wipes, a woman looking for disinfectants, people needing food to get by.”
The group posters will also share educational links for kids, and links to local news sites or town information.
“Collingwood has always been an active community since as far as I can remember,” said Van Evera. “Sometimes just a channel for everyone … is what is needed to bring a collective collaboration together and hold us together when we need it the most.”
Debbie Yaniw
This Wasaga Beach mom and home daycare owner is no stranger to community outreach, having organized several “mom swaps” over the past couple of years and running her own Christmas in a Box program for needy families in the area.
This week she organized a neighbourhood window scavenger hunt. She’s created a template of cutouts and shared it with houses on her street. The idea is to put the cutouts in windows for others in the neighbourhood to search and find for the game.
“We live on a very friendly street, people always walking their dogs and washing their vehicles, there’s always someone to chat to,” said Yaniw. “And with social distancing, we’re going to miss each other.”
The hunt is intended to keep people walking the street and engaging with neighbours while still practising social distancing as recommended by health officials.
“I think getting some fresh air and distracting ourselves with something fun will help everyone’s mental health over these next few weeks,” said Yaniw.
Her neighbourhood already has a Facebook group and area residents stay connected through it.
“It’s usually used for friendly chit-chat and we have ran a few fundraisers or food drives,” said Yaniw. “When I was very pregnant and home alone I reached out for someone to come blow our driveway, someone came almost straight away.”
Now the group is being used to coordinate an Easter egg decorating competition.
“I’m sure during this time we will be watching out for each other, seeing who needs assistance, doing grocery runs for those that cannot, etc.,” said Yaniw.
Katelynn Spooner
This Collingwood resident has helped form a group called The Givers whose mission is to make care packages and deliver them since the pandemic began.
The group has reached out via social media and through social and personal support workers to find people in the community in need. Then the group creates a custom-made care package to help meet those needs.
“People are just so grateful and we find a lot of people are reaching out for their family members who may not have means to communicate to us, or not have a way to get the things they need,” said Spooner. “We are receiving donations from the community, it’s so great to see how we are all coming together in this time of need.”
The group gathered as much toilet paper as they could find for a nursing home in Stayner, and were preparing a package of items for the local women’s shelter.
“If we could do it all the time, we would,” said Spooner. “But right now we feel as though those who are vulnerable aren’t going to be able to fend for themselves.”
She said there’s been tremendous support from those donating to The Givers’ mission, and even some who have offered to deliver the care packages.
If you would like help, or would like to donate to The Givers’ work, find them on Facebook here.
