When COVID hit our communities back in late March/early April 2020 and the world began to shut down, North Hills Community Outreach’s In Service of Seniors North team realized we needed to innovate to ensure that our most vulnerable seniors would be OK. Though we had to suspend our transportation program services, we implemented two initiatives to stay connected with our seniors and help meet basic needs, address food insecurity and ease isolation and loneliness. Our enhanced Senior Buddy Check In Call program started in April 2020 and grew through weekly phone calls to close to 200 seniors by over 25 volunteers. Just a simple phone call to let isolated seniors know that we were here to help in any way made all the difference to many.
From John’s volunteer ; He “really appreciates the calls. It’s great to have something to look forward to when he can’t get out and do anything.”
From Pat’s volunteer: “Since losing her husband and then her son in law, the calls have kept her positive and not so lonely. She is getting chattier and chattier with each phone call and that’s a great sign.”
Our Senior Food Box Delivery initiative began through an anonymous donation of funds to secure extra boxes of food from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. From April – September 2020, volunteers delivered extra food boxes to over 165 seniors each month. Eight area police departments also volunteered for this effort, in addition to many of our other Free Rides for Seniors shuttle volunteers and In Service of Seniors volunteers.
As we ease back into our ability to safely provide services again to our seniors, we feel blessed that so many volunteers stepped up during this unprecedented time to help those in need in our community.
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