Public radio station WBUR recently decided to highlight three AmeriCorps programs in Boston that, overnight, pivoted to best serve their communities in light of Covid-19. We’re so excited to see that each of the selected programs are ones that we have an opportunity to serve.
Here’s a peak of what the article hightlights:
FoodCorps member Emily Brown — in light of her school being closed — has been focused on helping her community get fed — planting gardens around Gloucester and giving residents soil, compost, and seeds to plant their own gardens.
FoodCorps member Leilani Stacy has been creating videos teaching kids how to make healthy meals.
FoodCorps member Rebecca Perrrin has been answering calls at a pandemic hotline in Chelsea and coordinating food and supply distribution. Like Leilani above, she has also been creating videos for the students she was serving in-person, such as this scavenger hunt for plant parts:
Before Covid, Social Capital Inc. member Paloma Suarez was creating wellness programs for kids at a community health center. She didn’t stop when the virus hit. Instead, she called and screened the majority of the center’s patients to determine their needs and helped fill those needs — from coordinating a massive food distribution effort to making sure families received other essentials like diapers.
Last but not least, 826 Boston member Ivan Ang had been tutoring at a public high school program for immigrants, but as his sessions have gone virtual, he has expanded the scope of his sessions to help his students truly understand and process all that’s happening in their new country.
“I think … as recent immigrants, there are a lot of things that they’re still trying to learn, they struggle to understand,” Ivan said.
We can’t say we’re surprised that these programs’ members were highlighted, but we’re definitely thrilled that the well-deserved spotlight is shining on them. Congrats! Read the entire article.