During the statewide stay-at-home order, recreational activities have been canceled and a trip to the grocery store may be perilous for older residents.
Erin Davis, who created the Love More initiative in 2016 to give back to the Franklin community and local nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity, the Girls and Boys Clubs of Johnson County and Gleaners Food Bank, wanted to expand her efforts in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which has isolated residents in their homes.
Davis joined forces with Amanda Ott and Kimberly Spurling at Franklin Community Schools to launch the Better Together initiative, which donated the $1,200 it raised during its first week to food banks around Indiana.
Better Together, which started in March, is also doing its part to make sure folks at home, some of whom may live alone, have interpersonal interactions. It has a calendar full of scheduled virtual activities, and a list of mental health resources and programs for people who need food delivered to them or someone to talk to, according to the initiative’s website.
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“We built a website over a weekend in partnership with the city and schools; a little online community so people can get resources if they need it,” Davis said. “We already have volunteers who will help deliver food. There are interactive things and community Zoom, or if people just want a phone call to check in. We want to keep people feeling like they have a friend.”
Zoom events include yoga, meditation, Pilates, quilting and cooking, among other offerings, according to its website.
So far, Better Together has 70 people doing community Zooms, delivering meals to seniors and calling people who may not have anyone to talk to. The initiative served 20 people during its first week. At the time, it was only open to people associated with Franklin schools, but is now looking to expand and target all of Johnson County, Ott said.
“This week—in the past couple of days—there’s been a huge pick up,” Ott said. “We’ve reached out to social services that service clients, we’re partnering with KIC-IT, schools, the city, churches … word is starting to spread.”
To help people who are struggling with mental health issues during the pandemic, Better Together has gotten the support of a handful of soon-to-be Butler University graduates who are going into mental health professions after graduation. The initiative has also opened itself up to a wide variety of suggestions for Zoom conferences, including vigils for people who have lost loved ones, Ott said.
Volunteer Jenny Pieper on Wednesday delivered food to a Franklin resident after collecting it at Interchurch Food Pantry. She has also volunteered at Cub Pantry, and wanted to continue to help out some of the county’s most vulnerable, she said.
“I really just wanted to help,” Pieper said. “We have a face mask and we can have gloves as well. We’re dropping (food) off on the front porch, ringing the doorbell, and then they come out after we leave.”
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To donate, volunteer or if you need services, visit: sites.google.com/view/bettertogether1823.
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