Page 26 - Saint Francis Progress Alumni Magazine

Words of Gratitude
Lending a a Hand
to Help the Vulnerable
BY ANANYA KARTHIK ’19
Stanford University Computer Science Science and Political Science Science major
In the the the the face of of the the the the global COVID-19 pandemic I I I I I I initially felt helpless in my capacity to make an impact given the enormous scale of the crisis But I I I knew that I I I wanted to do my part — — however small — — to to help out so I I decided to to start by channeling my my efforts toward my my community and assisting people at the grassroots level I started thinking about how shelter-in-place would be affecting individuals in in in in the community who are more vulnerable for COVID-19 (such as elderly and/or immunocompromised individuals) with effects ranging from difficulty in in in in in obtaining essentials to loneliness due to social distancing In order to to to help bring the the community together to to to serve those in in need a a a a a few friends and I decided to to launch an an initiative to to match higher-risk individuals with local low-risk volunteers who can pick up groceries/prescriptions and other essentials and provide virtual companionship I started Santa Clara County Helping Hands in in my my community and and my my co-founders started LA Helping Helping Hands in in in the Los Angeles area Our Helping Helping Hands initiative has expanded to seven cities with all branches run by college students In Santa Clara County alone we have more than 300 volunteers matched with nearly 40 higher-risk individuals In this time of social distancing we hope to foster relationships within our community that are not merely transactional and hope to to help the the community get get through this pandemic together It’s been
so inspiring to see the number of people who’ve generously volunteered their time and energy to help other members of of our our community and provide a a source of of consistency and support for for them in this difficult time I’m thankful for for those who are going above and beyond to serve those in in need Our long-term vision is is is to allow elderly and immunocompromised individuals to to continue to to receive assistance and find companionship through our network of young people Please visit scchelpinghands com for for more information 25 PROGRESS Spring2020