WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES AUGUST 20, 2020 13
Keeping essential services essentially human coronavirus era
BY SHAREN I. DUKE
Gregory Meade takes the
subway. It’s not because he’s
fearless. It’s because he’s on a
mission. He wears a mask and carries
several more along with other
personal protective equipment. The
bags he totes are filled with pantry
provisions and food vouchers. His
frequent subway rides will include
stops in every borough.
Gregory is delivering hope and
health to people in need and helping
us provide essential services to New
York City’s most vulnerable population
— folks who are suffering from a
range of chronic illnesses, substance
use, poverty and homelessness, who
now, under the cloud of COVID-19,
are too sick, frightened, isolated or
otherwise unable to reach necessary
services.
Now, even as the coronavirus
releases its grip on our city, our nonprofit,
Alliance for Positive Change
and countless others like us are
adapting to a new world where we
must find ways to pivot from what
has essentially been a face-to-face
operation to one that goes beyond a
face mask. The pandemic has forced
us to consider how an agency that’s
in the business of social services and
public health can provide assistance
when all of the rules for helping no
longer apply.
Gregory, one of our legion of
trained volunteers and peer advocates,
is part of the solution. “Some of
these people are afraid to go outside,”
the 23-year-old says. “But I check on
them, and make sure they are OK.
It humbles me to help out at a time
like this.” It’s not that this Bed-Stuy
resident believes he’s invincible;
it’s quite the opposite. Six years
ago, he arrived on our doorstep,
seeking help. Alliance offered him
in-person support and a welcoming
community.
Gregory and others like him have
literally been a lifeline for many of
our clients. And while these personalized
deliveries are powerful,
the model is not a one-size-fits-all
solution for us or the community
we serve.
For many, simply having a place to
go, a professional to speak with, or
a peer to offer counsel is critical to
their progress. Grabbing a snack or
having a meal was an ever-present
option for all those who came to our
six locations for services, workshops
and training, or to get medications
from our pharmacy access center.
But with several of our doors
still closed or only partially open,
we needed a revised strategy for
OP-ED
providing sustenance and addressing
the increasingly severe issue of
food insecurity. We quickly supplemented
the delivery service that
Gregory was a part of with graband
go meals available at three of
our centers. We secured support
to distribute hundreds of meals
each week. And for those hundreds
of people who were homebound or
unable to get to us, we began mailing
or delivering food gift cards twice
a month, along with masks, recipes
and resources.
Throughout the pandemic, our
goal has been to provide continuity
of service, and to do it with the
kindness and humanity that is our
trademark. Home deliveries certainly
checked the boxes, but they
were not a solution to reach everyone.
We wondered how a food gift
card arriving in the mail might be
received. We quickly learned that
this innovative approach brought
with it the dignity of not having to
stand in a food line and the freedom
to get the food that you not only need
but that nourishes you, or is part of
your culture.
Denise Rambert, a recipient of the
gift cards whose diet recommends
certain foods, was overjoyed. “It was
the only way I was able to get the
veggies that I need to keep healthy,”
she says.
From the beginning, we thought
about the countless interactions
between staff, peers and the people
we serve and the essentially “social”
part of our social services. We could
not always rely on Zoom or other
technology because they just were
not easily or readily available to
many clients. But we could connect
via telephone. And we are.
Staff and volunteers make thousands
of calls each month to provide
information and offer support, and
we encourage all New Yorkers to support
organizations like Alliance that
are on the frontlines. Homebound,
Denise says these efforts lift her
spirits. “It’s the help I needed at the
right time.”
Sharen I. Duke is the founding executive
director and CEO of Alliance
for Positive Change (www.alliance.
nyc).
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