Special Edition /April 2020

Remote and Virtual Volunteers 

WE MISS YOU!

Volunteers can help from a safe distance like Tracey Harbaugh handing off food to Leslie Sims. There are remote and virtual volunteer opportunities at GoochlandCares. We miss you and hope you and your families stay healthy.

Food Pantry Over 225 families have been coming to the Food Pantry for curbside food delivery. Volunteers have been working remotely to keep the food pantry stocked by picking up food from grocery stores, conducting food drives, and packing pet food.

Olivia and Jack Stern packed pet food remotely. Along with their mom, Jennifer, they usually pick up food donations from grocery stores on the weekend. This week Jo Smith packed pet food at home instead of the Food Pantry where she usually volunteers with her husband, Howard.

Board Member Vern Fleming picked up food and personal hygiene items from the Amazon distribution center in Chester.

Food Pantry Courier Bob Levesque has been picking up food from local grocery stores.

Financial Assistance  Due to the economic effects of the crisis, we expect to see more clients including some people who may not have needed us before. Virtual Volunteers Lee Lindsey and Al Rider are still providing financial assistance counseling to help clients with their budgets. They're using their home offices instead of GC's offices.

Al Rider

Lee Lindsey

Clinic Dr. James Schmitt has been providing telehealth visits and curbside healthcare. He also conducted a "Triaging Patients" training session for staff and volunteers via Go To Meeting.

Administration

Mary Pasco has been maintaining our database while working from home. Liz Rider has been making calls to local food pantries to keep our Client Resource List up to date. Typically, Mary and Liz welcome clients, volunteers, and visitors to the building during their Front Desk volunteer shifts.

Mary Pasco

Liz Rider

Volunteers Support the Food Pantry

Volunteer Brandon Avram, Goochland High School Junior, built a food donation box. It's outside the Food Pantry to make donating safe and easy.

Board Member Jennifer Stern conducted a food drive in Manakin Farms neighborhood and collected 123 lbs. If you would like to conduct a "drive by" food drive or for more ways to help, please contact dreale@GoochlandCares.org .

Volunteer Swamy Boggarapu started a "Virtual Food Drive" by email. He encouraged his friends to donate to the Food Pantry through Amazon Smile. Lisa Coles unpacked much needed canned food when it arrived.

If you aren't comfortable leaving your home and want to donate, you can shop on Amazon Smile and send items to 2999 River Road West, Goochland, VA 23063. If you shop Amazon Smile and designate GoochlandCares as your beneficiary, we get a 0.5% donation based on eligible items purchased! Our most needed items are

Food Pantry Soup Beans Canned veggies Canned fruit Canned meat (tuna and chicken) Clinic Gowns Masks Tylenol (in sealed containers) Cold Medicine (in sealed containers) Latex gloves

Virtual Volunteer Visit Would you like to "meet" with us to hear what is happening at GC? Please join us for a Virtual Volunteer Visit on Thursday, April 23 at 1 pm. For details please click here. 

With Appreciation to Our Volunteers

Volunteer Nurse Practitioner Donna Pinnell usually runs a GYN Clinic for our patients once a month. Thank you to Donna for making and donating masks. Thank you to all our volunteers who have expressed appreciation to staff with kind notes, calls and emails. A special thank you to Carol Daddis, Tracey and David Harbaugh, Eleanor and Dwight Rigsby, and Sandtopia Food Truck for providing lunches. Carol, David, Eleanor, and Dwight are Food Pantry volunteers. Tracey volunteers at the Front Desk. We miss all of our volunteers!

Thank you for supporting us as we work to help the most vulnerable members of our community.