Isolated Tri-Cities seniors getting ‘Helping Hands.’ And other coronavirus help and donations
From bringing household items to seniors to financial donations to help the community, efforts are being made throughout the Tri-Cities to lend aid during coronavirus outbreak.
Helping Hands assists seniors
A new Tri-City project that has been helping isolated seniors who do not have a support network during the coronavirus outbreak has provided needed supplies to 275 people since its inception in mid-March.
Helping Hands for Seniors TC, received an influx of support with a $5,000 combined donation from Gesa Credit Union and HAPO Community Credit Union. They also received $500 from the Pasco Jaycees and other individual donations.
The volunteer-run project that is supported from Tri-Cities retirements communities, professionals who work with seniors delivers nonperishable food and needed household items such as hygeine items, cleaning products and pet supplies to the seniors’ doorsteps.
Dave Everett, the Richland Seniors Association president, told the Tri-City Herald that they still need the community’s help to identify people who need the service, as well as continued donations of items and money to buy products.
Donations of items can be made at the following locations;
- PCP Consulting, 732 N. Center Parkway, Kennewick. Call 509-713-9495.
- Windsong at Southridge, 4000 W. 24th Ave., Kennewick. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 509-202-4327 before drop off.
- Anthology Event Venue, 706 Williams Blvd., Richland. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call 509-375-4000 or email kathy@castleeventcatering.com
To volunteer or for more information, call 509-627-2522, email richsrassn@gmail.com or go to Helping Hands for Seniors on Facebook.
Reach out to patients
Trios Health has launched a program to help patients feel less isolated from family and friends because visitors are not allowed at Trios Southridge Hospital during the new coronavirus pandemic.
Messages posted online at bit.ly/2V9bFPA will be printed by staff and delivered to patients.
“For hospitalized patients, staying connected to their support systems and receiving encouragement and love from family and friends is a meaningful part of healing and recovery,” said Trios Chaplain Ondria Hitt. “We want our patients to know they are not forgotten, and that people care about them.”
Messages may be addressed to specific patients or to all patients.
Go on Easter ‘egg’ hunt
Community Easter egg hunts are canceled this spring, but children in West Richland can still look for decorated eggs when they are walking the neighborhoods with parents.
Some West Richland residents are decorating paper Easter eggs and “hiding” them on porches, bushes and planters for children to spot as they walk by this week.
Some residents are moving the eggs daily, says the city of West Richland.
Free food distribution set Thursday
A free food distribution will be 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 9, in the parking lot of Chief Joseph Middle School at 504 Wilson St. in Richland.
The Richland Firefighters Local 1052 union has joined forces with Second Harvest to hold its fifth drive-thru Mobile Market since 2016. Fresh produce, perishable food, as well as beef, will be given out.
Anyone in Tri-Cities who is in need of help is invited to participate, and no documentation of need is required. Participants are asked to bring a box or bag for the food to be placed in.
Free virtual museum tour offered
Tri-Cities students who don’t get to take a popular field trip over school closures, still can get a virtual look.
While Fort Walla Walla Museum is closed to adhere to Washington’s stay home orders, it has created a virtual school tour at bit.ly/fort-walla-walla. The museum usually has nearly 5,000 participants annually in its admission-free school tour program but schools have been ordered closed through June.
Along with a video, the museum posted a teacher’s guide and a student activity guide on the website.
Boys & Girls Club receives aid
The Boys & Girls Club of Benton and Franklin Counties “Step Up With Us” initiative has received an influx of money.
Broadmoor Storage Solutions of Pasco has joined the effort through a $15,000 sponsorship and is matching individual donations through April.
The program provides critical services such as emergency child care for essential personnel, virtual programming for families at home and delivery of food and essential items to family in need.
To donate, go to greatclubs.org/donate.
Over $13K raised for meal donations
Campbell and Company has raised about $13,500 in its effort to help local Tri-Citians through a GoFundMe campaign to contribute to a Community Strong program.
Every dollar donated is being used to purchase gift cards from local restaurants, given to Communities in Schools of Benton-Franklin, to distribute the proceeds to families in the most need.
“I’m extremely thankful of the work they do to support our community’s underserved and underrepresented,” said Brian Campbell, general manager.
The company also has created a coloring sheet available to print out for children to show appreciation.
Foundation delivers meals to cancer patients
The Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation is working with area restaurants and chefs to send cancer patients a meal during amid the difficulties of coronavirusl
Each week, the foundation will deliver meals from a separate entity, which will be announced on the TCCancerCenter Facebook page.
Donations are being accepted to support this mission at bit.ly/TCCancerCenter-meals