‘People come forth in these times and say, how can we help?’ Some good news amid the bad.
Here’s a morsel of good news in this hellscape of coronavirus life we’re living in right now: The Catholic Action Center, a shelter that is at high risk for spreading the virus among its elderly and medically vulnerable population, is sending some 40 inhabitants to a lakeside retreat center in Garrard County.
You might remember that last year, the Catholic Diocese of Lexington signed a long-time lease with the Catholic Action Center to turn the Cliffview Retreat and Conference Center into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. The center, located on a peninsula between Herrington Lake and the Dix River, will eventually house about 50 people who will be treated by Mountain Comprehensive Care.
But for now, the center will take about 40 of the Catholic Action Center’s most elderly and medically vulnerable population so they are more isolated over the next month. This will also free up more room at the center on Industry Road. Mountain Comp will provide programming and Lundy’s Catering will donate three meals a day at Cliffview and at Industry Road, so volunteers don’t have to bring food to either site for the next 30 days.
“Things just needed to come together,” said Ginny Ramsey, co-founder and director of the Catholic Action Center. “There are so many good people in this world.”
No one will be forced to go, Ramsey said, but they will be offered a spot. No one going is currently sick, “we’re taking them down there to prevent sickness,” Ramsey said. Mountain Comp will provide a nurse practitioner. Lexington neighborhood activist Billie Mallory will move down as a supervisor.
Ramsey remains optimistic in the face of local and state leadership that we’re going to pull through okay.
“The forces of 20 years of ministry come together, people come forth in these times and say, ‘how can we help?” she said.
Here are some more ways:
▪ Of course, Catholic Action and other shelters in town can still use plenty of donations of ordinary cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer and basic funds. Check their websites to see what they need most: http://www.catholicactioncenter.net/donate.
▪ The Hope Center has suspended drop-off donations because of the virus, but can always use financial donations: https://www.hopectr.org/donations/
▪ The Blue Grass Community Foundation and the United Way have set up a Coronavirus Response Fund to help folks impacted by the virus. Go to https://bgcf.givingfuel.com/coronavirus to donate.
▪ Donate to God’s Pantry, Meals on Wheels or Moveable Feast, the groups trying to get food to the most needy. https://godspantry.org/ and http://mealsonwheelslex.org/ and https://www.feastlex.org/
▪ If you’re healthy and have been staying home, consider donating blood. The Kentucky Blood Center has a list of criteria of who is able to give, and there is no evidence of COVID-19 transmission from giving. https://kybloodcenter.org/coronavirus-statement/
Here are some other ideas for all of us getting through this very trying time.
If your neighborhood association hasn’t done so already, think about putting together a list of people willing to help elderly or medically vulnerable neighbors so they can avoid grocery stores and other public places. One of my neighbors is teaching her elderly relatives (over the phone) how to use Kroger’s grocery pickup so they can order and then pick up their groceries without going inside.
Start your own Victory Garden, just like in World War II. We don’t know how our supply chains are going to hold out, and regardless, fresh lettuce and other vegetables are never a bad idea. Seedleaf runs numerous community gardens around Lexington and they are a great resource. Gardening is safe, solitary, and a great outside activity for kids.
Fill out your 2020 Census forms. Those just came in the mail, and you can’t say you don’t have time. This gives the government the best idea of who we are and what we need. They can also be done online.
Stay informed but don’t spend all your time on social media, fueling anxiety. Instead, use phones and computers to check on neighbors and loved ones. We are social creatures and isolation is difficult. On Sunday morning, our neighborhood group chat did a check-in, and it really cheered a lot of us up.
Keep us updated on volunteer and other ways to help by email at lblackford@herald-leader.com. Or send us examples of neighbors helping neighbors. We’d love to tell those stories.
