N.S. community uses grocery delivery to keep neighbours safe, connected in pandemic

Gillian Hatcher no longer dreads going to the grocery store.

Hatcher has been volunteering with the Friendly Neighbour program run by the Seniors Association of St. Margaret's Bay, also called Bay Seniors, for the past few weeks.

As COVID-19 public health rules in Nova Scotia encouraged seniors and people with compromised immune systems not to go out to shop, the organization gathered and trained dozens of volunteers to safely deliver food and medical prescriptions within public health guidelines.

Hatcher, who lives in the area served by the program, said she generally doesn't love trips to the grocery store. But that changes when she's on a mission for a neighbour, their list in hand.

How the program works

Once volunteers like Hatcher have loaded up the grocery bags, they drop them off at the recipient's house about six feet from theirdoor. The recipient then comes out to pick up the groceries.

"Sometimes we're only speaking to the person through the window. But even yesterday I was dropping something off for a lady and I must have been there 15 minutes," Hatcher said.

"She lives all by herself and we just had a nice long chat. It's really nice, it's a nice way to meet people."

The volunteers are equipped with protective masks, gloves, sanitizing wipes and have been trained how to deliver everything safely.

People don't need a credit card to take part. The groceries are bought through gift cardsand every few weeks recipients are billed by the seniors group.

More than anything, Hatcher is hoping those who need help aren't shy about reaching out since there is an "army" of volunteers ready to go.

She has enjoyed the experience of meeting new people so much, Hatcher said she likely gets more out of the exchanges than those receiving the groceries.

"We're all having a hard time in different ways," she said. "But if we all sort of come together when we come out of this we're going to be better off than when we went into it."

Friendly Neighbour dispatcher Nancy LaPaix, one of two people who takes incoming calls and co-ordinates volunteers, saidthe program has made around 75 deliveries since March 24.

She said the program originally aimed to fill the shoes of the popular BayRides grocery bus that had to stop during the pandemic. It was a way people could shop in an area with no regular community transit or easy taxi access.

But now, they are reaching far more people than those who used that service pre-COVID-19.

In one case, LaPaix said they had a 96-year-old woman who lived alone and was getting a neighbour in her 80s to pick up groceries when she went out. LaPaix said when the woman discovered this initiative, "she couldn't believe it" and was very relieved.

"This program is reaching people who really need it," LaPaix said.

After BayRides returns and public health rules are eased in the months to come, LaPaix is confident the Friendly Neighbour program will continue, even if informally, to ensure no one falls through the cracks.

Volunteers also deliver cards, meals, protective masks

Grocery delivery is just one of the ways Bay Seniors, and other groups and businesses in St. Margarets Bay, have been co-operating and looking out for one another during the pandemic.

Sharon Jessup Joyce,the communications coordinator for Bay Seniors, handles the group's newsletter that goes out to more than 600 people, about 50 of whom don't haveinternet access.

A volunteer stays in touch with those people by phone or mail, and they might be some of the people who could benefit from a boost like a homemade card or hearty meal.

Pre-cooked meals are being prepared by local eatery Delish Fine Foods thanks to food bank vouchers and large donations from community members and delivered by volunteers as well.

As an offshoot of the Friendly Neighbour program, Jessup Joyce said two local people have donated card-making supplies for kids to use. They all created something unique for seniors, and others in the area who might live alone.

"We always see strong community spirit in St. Margarets Bay, but I think the pandemic has really given people an opportunity to think of ways they can do a little bit more," Jessup Joyce said.

Their volunteers also drop off donated materials for sewing group members in the community, who are creating protective masks and gowns for health care workers at the Northwood long-term care facility and the VON.

The group has made over 200 masks, Jessup Joyce said, and many are also going to Bay Seniors members for free.