LAKEWOOD, Ohio – As some people are looking for help and financial assistance due to the pandemic, a couple have found themselves stressed for not being able to help others.
“In Lakewood, there’s always a certain poverty level, but now it’s unreal and so many people need food.”
Cleveland.com launched Coping through COVID, a regular series that aims to help Northeast Ohioans manage the stress of COVID-19 by examining the mental health aspect of the pandemic. In an ongoing series, cleveland.com will explore stories about people’s mental health struggles and talk with experts to explore the challenges and strategies to deal with those struggles.
The couple says they haven’t been able to provide services for those in need like they normally do during the holidays. They are involved with Lakewood Charitable Assistance, a community effort that collects food for Lakewood families.
“The pandemic has had a severe effect on the people we serve,” the woman said.
During the holiday season, they normally put together an assembly line of food that feeds around 300 people for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
That was canceled this year due to the pandemic, but the couple still managed to find a way to help people in their neighborhood. They applied for a grant called the Neighbor Up COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant, which provides financial assistance to grassroots neighborhood civic groups as well as small non-profit and faith-based organizations for COVID-19 relief.
The non-profit was awarded a grant of $5,000. They went to the grocery stores and purchased gift cards for families since they couldn’t pass out food and perishables.
Aside from helping others, the couple managed to stay busy by golfing, gardening, and other outdoor activities that were permitted in the summer months but are limited or almost impossible during the winter.
“No neighbors, no golfing, no volunteering,” the woman said. “We normally would be out and about, but now we don’t go anywhere.”
Her husband is high-risk, after becoming sick a year ago, she says. He caught a virus and went into heart failure. Therefore, they do not risk coming outside.
In addition to staying inside, the couple is stressed from missing out on family time, and isolating themselves.
“We can’t see my mom, I haven’t seen one of my sons in a year, and we see my other son about once a week when he drops off groceries, but it’s hard,” the woman said. “It’s just so odd.”
Throughout all the stress and anxiety of being isolated from family, and not being able to help others, the couple remains optimistic.
“We’re very lucky, and we have no reason to complain, but it’s just hard to feel so powerless,” the woman said. “It’s hard to need help instead of being the help, but we will have to make it up for next year.”
What the experts say
Kate Klonowski, coordinator of the Provost Scholars Program at Case Western University, offers some coping skills for those who are stressed during the pandemic.
“Keep a notebook and write down three things that you’re grateful for,” Klonowski says. “And on the bad days, write in it more than once.”
Klonowski admits that she is struggling with the changes caused by the pandemic as well, so she suggests finding ways to keep connections strong like ZOOM calls, emails, or leaving gifts on people’s doorsteps, especially for those who can’t see their families.
Making connections and writing in a notebook should become regular, everyday habits because everyone should be prepared for a long haul because we don’t know when the pandemic will be over, Klonowski says.
She explains that she doesn’t how soon or if normalcy will exist for some again, but when you’re not feeling normal, to reach out and get help, even after the pandemic.
“We have to stay safe and take care ourselves and each other,” Klonowski says. “Don’t make risky decisions because we want to see each other, because we want to see each other alive.”
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December 30, 2020 at 02:28AM
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Coping Through COVID: Lakewood couple uses COVID-19 grant to feed those in need during the holidays - cleveland.com
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