Saint Andrews’ home delivery and check-in service has resumed in 2021 to help local residents safely stay in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. A collaboration between the Town of Saint Andrews and the Kiwanis Club of Saint Andrews, the program has about 60 local volunteers doing daily deliveries of essential goods from Joey’s Independent Grocer, Cockburn’s Drugs and St. Andrews Home Hardware. Volunteers also make phone calls to vulnerable residents who might otherwise feel isolated during the pandemic. The calls can range anywhere between a few minutes in length to half an hour, depending on how the person on the other end of the line is feeling.
If the delivery service helps maintain the physical safety of residents, the wellness checks round out the program by checking in on vulnerable residents’ mental health and also provide a human connection during this trying time. The program originally began in 2020 as an early response to COVID-19. Although it scaled back over the summer months last year due to a steep decline in cases, the program resumed in 2021 when the second wave was in full effect across Canada.
“It’s important for our community that we are ready for anything that comes, especially with the new variants that are out there. There is a possibility that they can be more contagious and therefore more deadly,” said Guy Groulx, a town councillor and Kiwanis member who helps schedule the both deliveries and the check-ins to vulnerable people. “If we are ready with our delivery program in place, as a community we will be better prepared.”
Although New Brunswick’s COVID-19 case numbers have been in low in comparison to other provinces, part of the reason for this is no doubt due to neighbours looking out for neighbours in a Maritime fashion. This program exemplifies this. If you live in the Saint Andrews area and would like to take part in the COVID-19 delivery service and wellness checks, either as a recipient or as a volunteer, call Town Clerk Paul Nopper at the Town of Saint Andrews Office at 506-529-5120.
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