Carol’s Story

Carol and her husband gave to United Way throughout their working lives and into retirement. When Carol’s husband died, she decided to continue giving – never thinking that she might require the services she was supporting. Then in 2020 when COVID-19 hit, Carol was required to stay home to keep herself safe.  Carol’s friends were all in the same predicament and she didn’t have any local family who could assist her with grocery delivery. Carol didn’t know what to do until she found United Way Hastings & Prince Edward’s COVID-19 Community Response Grocery Delivery program.

How the Building Strong Communities pillar supported Carol

Part of United Way HPE’s role is to identify gaps in service and strategize how best to fill those gaps to strengthen our community. When COVID-19 hit we recognized early on that we had a significant role to play in ensuring the social safety net was strong. The COVID-19 Community Response Grocery Delivery program was launched to support seniors like Carol, who didn’t have friends, family or neighbours who could help them while they were being advised to self-isolate at home. Locally, we partnered with Performance Sales & Accessories for the use of a cargo van for four months, with graphics donated by Bullet Signs and Graphics. In Belleville, the Belleville Police Service Auxiliary Unit volunteered to help with grocery delivery. United Way HPE also partnered with agencies around Hastings and Prince Edward counties to ensure that a similar grocery delivery program was available to seniors in all parts of our region during the pandemic.

To learn more about the Building Strong Communities Pillar – click here.

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