People in Chatham want to help their neighbors.
That’s been one clear signal since the launch of ChathamNeighbor2Neighbor, a collaborative effort by the Chatham News + Record, Abundance NC and the Caremongering Pittsboro Facebook group.
The program connects people in Chatham County who have the capacity to help with those who need help the most using a simple online form. Any Chatham County resident who wants to volunteer to help can access the site from this URL: https://bit.ly/ChathamNeighbor2Neighbor
Once there, visitors complete a simple contact form which includes options for ways they can help. At the same time, any Chatham County resident who needs help can, through the same site, complete a form seeking assistance. Volunteers are then “matched” with the neighbor in need.
There is also a version of the same form translated into Spanish called Chatham VecinoAVecino, which can be found at https://bit.ly/ChathamVecinoAVecino.
“The Neighbor2Neighbor program has been deeply rewarding for me personally and a very different type of work for Abundance NC,” said Abundance’s Tami Schwerin, who’s helping to lead the effort. “The pandemic has brought us many obstacles and of course opportunities. As we were a bit side-swiped about planning Abundance NC events in the near future, Bill Horner and Chatham News + Record came to us with this great idea — matching people that want to help with people that need help.”
Within days of the launch last week dozens of Chatham County neighbors answered the call, signing up to help their fellow neighbors.
“As we expected, it was harder to find the people that needed help,” Schwerin said. “We know they are out there, but it’s tricky to get this form to the appropriate organizations and agencies.”
“Many people are hesitant to ask for help,” News + Record reporter Casey Mann said. “There is an element of shame for some who have worked their entire lives only to be put in a tough situation. That’s why confidentiality is so important for the program.”
In its first week, the team was able to make four “matches” of people in need with volunteers willing to help. One woman was home sick with COVID-19 with her 5-year old child and small dog. None had not been out in a few weeks and she urgently needed food, supplies and medicine. Since she spoke Spanish, Marcela Slade, Abundance NC’s event coordinator and art director, called and translated her list to a volunteer. Within two hours, a volunteer delivered almost everything on her list along with a box of healthy ready to eat meals donated by Pittsboro’s Angelina’s Kitchen.
“It was a beautiful thing to know this woman was taken care of,” Schwerin said. “A lot of love and care went into helping her.”
Another person wanted someone to talk to and a licensed counselor called her same day. One woman needed food and utilities. Again, the team called on the volunteer list and these needs were met. One woman only wanted to receive groceries, which she needed badly, if the volunteer would accept something in return, like housecleaning.
“No one is looking for a handout,” Mann said. “Just a little help to get them through a very tough time for all of us. I think it’s incredibly brave for them to reach out instead of suffering in silence which will ultimately make the situation worse.”
“We are continuing to reach out to folks that need help,” Schwerin said. “The list is full of people who can offer time, walk animals, run errands and all sorts of things. Many of the people are paying for the groceries. I think we all feel so thankful if we do have food on our table and a roof over our heads and that we can help our neighbors during this unprecedented time.”
Getting involved
How can you help? Access and complete the Chatham Neighbor2Neighbor form using the weblink https://bit.ly/ChathamNeighbor2Neighbor, or the Spanish version https://bit.ly/ChathamVecinoAVecino.
For more information, email news@chathamnr.com and your message will be directed to volunteers.