Service for Scouts during Social Distancing

As we all practice social distancing in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 there are many who need our help and compassion even more than usual. The sick and elderly are, in many cases, not able to get visitors which leaves them feeling isolated. Some of our hospitals are running short of basic supplies such as masks. Even more people than usual are in need of assistance to be able to put food on their tables as a result of being out of work while businesses are closed. All three of these are things we as Scouts can help with.

Write a letter to an elderly person living in a nursing home

Letters can be mailed to me if don’t you have someone you want to coordinate with locally. I will work with nursing homes to make sure each letter gets to a resident. If we have more letters than residents, we will find a second or third nursing home to deliver them too. I will make sure as many residents as possible get a letter.

Please note: All envelopes must be taped closed. Nursing homes are not permitting any letters that have been licked as a safety precaution. Any envelope I receive not taped will not be distributed because I can’t guarantee it was not licked. Again, this is the nursing homes’ rule.

Make masks for the hospitals

Depending on your area, this one may be a little less practical either due to shelter in place orders or due to lockdowns at the hospitals. Please contact your local hospital before starting work to find out if they can accept your donation. If they can then I suggest following the guide at https://www.phoebehealth.com/patients-and-visitors/coronavirus/mask-production.

Food banks

Many food banks are in need of food, including North Fulton Charities and Open Hands United Christian Ministry in Carrollton. Try to stick to nothing larger than a 1lb bag of rice so that it’s already the right size for them to be able to hand out. You are encouraged to check with a local food bank to see what they need and donate to them directly. I am also happy to come pick items up.

Service hours

In my unit, I am giving the kids:

  • 1 hour for every 6 letters written
  • 1 hour for every 2 masks made
  • Hours for food bank donations are on a case-by-case basis

They can only get a max of two hours per project.

Naturally, you will need to coordinate with you local unit to determine what makes sense credit wise. We are planning to tackle one of these a week over the next three weeks. I hope things will be returning to normal by then but, if not, we will brainstorm some more.

Contact info

Laura Lerman
3230 Waters Mill Dr.
Alpharetta, GA 30022

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