Check in With Your Neighbors

Do you know your next door neighbors?
I know some of them well enough to know who lives there, but I confess, that I don’t know all of them.  With everybody working different hours and spending less time in our yards and more time online, we don’t run into each other as often as we did when I was growing up.  As an introvert, I love being able to come home and talk to no one, but while people are staying home to slow down the spread of CoronaVirus, I’m concerned that some of our most vulnerable folks might need someone to check on them.  So here are some ideas about who you should check in with and how to do it safely!

Make contact safely with neighbors, family or friends:

• If you already know their contact info:
  Call, video call, text, email, message (etc.) to see how they are doing and if they need anything. You might even do it about once a week to stay in touch. Here is a sample text my friend, Anna, sent to her neighbors:

• If you don't know your neighbors' phone numbers: 
  You're not alone! Most of us are in that boat. Here are a couple options depending on what fits for you:
  • ​​Knock on their door and say hello:
    Maybe take a roll of TP with your number on it to their door and set it down.  Knock and step back 6 feet. When they come to the door say something like this:  "Hi neighbor,  I’m Heather, I live over there.  I wanted to say hi and see if you needed anything". 
  • Play it cool and leave a note: 
    Here's a sample you can use, if you'd like! 
    You can even go here, to print it + find other tips about how to build a neighborhood pod!

• ​​Do you have anyone you can team with?
  If so, let your church, friends, or team know that you are willing to make some calls to check on our vulnerable folks, and/or let them know of anyone they might not have thought of.  Most of us are already organizing lists of our most vulnerable members and looking for folks who can commit to calling 3-4 people once a week.
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Ideas for Helping Safely

1. Remember.  We can be contagious for several days before we have symptoms so always keep your distance and avoid touching even if no one appears to be sick.​
2. Offer to run an errand for someone who is in a high-risk category (elderly, immune compromised, breathing issues).  Going to the grocery store for them or picking up medication refills that they have called in could be super helpful.  Clackamas Service Center and Wichita Center are offering food boxes “to go” for those who can’t afford food.
3. Folks with physical limitations may need a hand with things like taking out the garbage, or meal preparation especially if their regular caregiver can’t come.  You could offer to bring over a plate of food, or do some simple chores if you practice keeping 6 feet away and remember to wash your hands carefully before entering and leaving their home.
4. Very carefully provide childcare for a parent who needs to work.  This must be done with extreme caution! Families who already have children should not have other children over. Most children are too young to reliably practice social distancing. Most children are too young to reliably practice not licking one another!!!  If you have few risk factors and don’t have children at home yourself, you could probably care for one family’s children. Be very, very firm about not touching and have everyone take frequent hand washing breaks.  Playing outside is a good idea! Hard toys can be washed with water and bleach. Books, board games, and soft things can be sprayed with Lysol and left to dry.

Most of all, let’s center ourselves in love and grace.  Make it our goal to love our neighbors by making it hard for the virus to spread.  Make it easy for our neighbors to feel loved by checking in safely and doing what we can, safely, to care for one another.

guest post from Pastor Heather at Oak Grove UMC