I’ve seen it before.
The elderly woman who was without food until her Social Security check arrived wasn’t seen walking in two days. A neighbor stopped by to find her hungry and alone, and solved the problem immediately.
The secondhand rack and food pantry in the community building.
The neighbor sharing some firewood.
The community members who deliver a hot meal to a homebound gentleman every night of the week.
Co-op communities are engaged and caring neighborhoods first and foremost. Neighbors know each other because they operate a co-op business together, attend events and meetings together, and live near one another. When someone is in need, I have seen it time and again, Member-owners step up.
If the coronavirus does take hold in one or more of the co-ops, I know Member-owners will be there for one another, thank goodness!
I have full confidence that once again co-ops will prove that #BetterTogether is real and important. Thank you to each of you who will go unnamed and unrecognized but who I know will be there in support of one another.
At ROC USA®, we are looking seriously at what we can do to be most helpful. I have heard two good and realistic ideas so far. For now, other than directing you to trustworthy sites and asking you to take extreme caution, there is not much immediately we can do besides hunker down ourselves. We won’t be visiting your communities in this period because as I told our staff, “We do not want to be the vector that brings Covid-19 into a community.”
Thank you for doing all you do. Be safe and take good care.
Sites for news and advice:
Every state’s health department website
www.211.org (or call 211)
Occupational Health and Safety Administration