Neighbors That Care Seeks to Inspire Communities Nationwide to help Coronavirus First Responders
Community group is helping doctors, nurses, police officers and others in Pleasant Ridge
DETROIT, April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Neighbors That Care seeks to inspire a nationwide effort to provide much needed support and supplies for first responders impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through local resident-driven initiatives.
Launched in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan a small Detroit suburb, the organization partnered with a local non-profit organization, the Pleasant Ridge Foundation, to provide food baskets and other aid to the community's COVID-19 first responders. Neighbors That Care is reaching out to communities across the country to assist in setting up similar efforts. You can learn about the organization here.
"There are people in our community that are putting their lives at risk every day on the front lines of the battle to defeat the coronavirus," said Paul A. Eisenstein, one of the founders of Neighbors That Care. "Whether they work in hospitals or nursing homes, drive ambulances, or keep our streets safe, we want to help these first responders and let them know their neighbors understand that they are putting their lives on the line for us."
Communities that want to establish their own Neighbors That Care local program can receive guidance for the creation of similar aid and assistance programs for their local first responders. These programs can include meal and food basket deliveries or address basic service needs such as mowing lawns.
"We would like to be connect with neighborhood groups and others assisting first responders all over the country," Eisenstein said.
Neighbors That Care was launched as a resident-driven initiative in Pleasant Ridge—the hometown of Eisenstein and the other founders—to provide support for the more than 100 first responders that live in the city. Those first responders include doctors, nurses, police officers and others on the frontlines of protecting the community from the contagious virus. Partnering with the Pleasant Ridge Foundation and supported by neighborhood volunteers, the organization provides food delivery and other needed resources to those individuals.
To date, the efforts in Pleasant Ridge have included the production and delivery of dozens of care packages filled with food and essentials that are prepared at a CDC-certified kitchen. The organization continues to track other community efforts and resources and makes them available on their website for first responders and their families.
"Neighbors That Care is about so much more than our square mile suburb," Neighbors That Care Co-Founder Jennifer Quenville said. "Our goal is to assist and inspire community groups across the U.S. to set up similar programs to help their own first responders."
Along with guidance for community groups across the U.S. looking to set up their own first responder assistance programs, the Neighbors That Care website provides a long list of resources. These resources assist both community groups and first responders, covering meal programs, access to medical supplies, clothing donations, and even home services like lawn care, oil changes, and financial and legal services.
The Neighbors That Care program can easily be adopted by any community-based organization or group, civic or fraternal club, or Scout troop. Communities interested in starting a local Neighbors That Care effort, should visit the "What You Can Do" page for more information on how to get started.
Please note: Photos and video of neighborhood deliveries along with interviews and a logo can be accessed here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8vakm607pz5nq7s/AADBR5qLGxNbb_zxwn4GSk4ja?dl=0
About Neighbors That Care
Neighbors That Care provides guidance for community groups across the country in deploying resident-driven aid and assistance program for first responders working on the front lines of COVID-19 in the United States. By offering support and resources for community groups, Neighbors That Care is quickly improving the wellbeing of the doctors, nurses, EMS personnel, and other medical workers, as well as police officers and firefighters who are working tirelessly to keep us safe. Founded by Paul A. Eisenstein, Jennifer Quenville, Michael Strong, Brendan Strong and Sally Freels, the first Neighbors That Care effort began in April 2020 in Pleasant Ridge, MI, providing support for the 100 first responders that reside in the small Detroit suburb.
Contact:
Brent Snavely
Senior Director
Lambert & Co.
313-378-6082; mobile
[email protected]
SOURCE Neighbors That Care
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