Helping Hands for Senior Citizens - Shopping & Delivery

In an effort to address the emergency needs of Port Washington residents as a result of COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, the Community Chest of Port Washington has convened a working group of leaders from the Town of North Hempstead, Port Washington School District, PW Public Library, PW Police, the PW Crisis Relief Team, community and faith-based organizations (CFBO) and others. We have also created the Port Washington COVID-19 Community Response Fund with an initial goal of $500,000. This Fund will be used to make COVID-19 emergency grants for food needs, housing costs and other expenses to existing CFBO that have strong experience supporting local families, particularly those that are disproportionately affected by this pandemic and its economic consequences, including our frail home-bound senior citizens. The PW COVID-19 Community Response Fund is hosted and administered by the Community Chest of Port Washington and is seeded with $100,000 from the Community Chest.

How can you help?

• Donate to the PW COVID-19 Community Response Fund through the Community Chest website www.portchest.org and its Certified Charity GoFundMe campaign https://bit.ly/2WUAKQG. 100% of donations received by the Community Chest for the COVID-19 campaign will be distributed to organizations helping Port Washington residents affected by this pandemic. (Our Lady of Fatima, Outreach; St. Peter of Alcantara, Social Ministry and Littig House Community Center) Donations can also be made by check to the Community Chest of Port Washington (COVID-19 in the memo section) and mailed to Community Chest of Port Washington, 382 Main Street, Ste 105, Port Washington, NY 11050

· Identify neighbors who are older adults and people with severe chronic illnesses and if you feel comfortable doing it, establish a way for them to ask for help from you if they need it. Do not mark or otherwise identify a house. Tell neighbors in-need to contact the Community Chest (at info@portchest.org or by calling 516-767-2121) if they need help with shopping and delivery of groceries and/or pharmacy items.

· Encourage all senior citizens to register for Project Independence (PI) by calling 311. Once registered, PI assigns a case worker who can help with transportation needs, food (including Meals-on-Wheels and Groceries), entitlement benefits etc.

• Inform the Community Chest (info@portchest.org) of volunteer efforts that community members are doing to help their neighbors (including first responders and medical personnel). The Community Chest is cataloging these efforts, updating daily and posting on its website.
• Continue to donate to organizations you regularly support, and especially those that need help at this crucial time.
• In times of crisis people’s hearts lead them to want to help and offer things that feel as concrete as possible. Often times, that means donating things that may turn out to be more of a burden than a help. Make sure that goods and services you want to donate are actually in need by the organization you want to help.