Deliver the Love

Harrisonburg/Rockingham Community,         

We have all been called to discover new ways of living since the Covid-19 pandemic began. We’ve found new ways to connect. We grew from old habits and unlocked more meaningful ways to spend our time. We now hold those we love tighter than ever before. 

For one group of people in our community, this year has been especially tough. In March, our healthcare workers stepped up to face a task previously unimagined. For months on end, they’ve been faced with incredibly difficult decisions. Many of them decided to distance from their families, even their own children, out of love. Many decided to hone their energy, and go above and beyond to meet the professional challenges resulting from this pandemic. Front line workers in the Emergency Department and Intensive Care teams have held the hands of our community members while they fight to survive. They have the responsibility of embodying love for our loved ones up until their last moments, when we can’t be there to do so. 

So, Harrisonburg, it’s time that we love them back! It’s time to show them that we see and honor their efforts. It’s time to say we are profoundly grateful for their courage and commitments in this time. Most importantly, it’s time for us to show them support, and to deliver some love and refill their enormous hearts.

Project Deliver the Love directly supports the frontline healthcare workers in the  Harrisonburg and Rockingham area. This grassroots community-wide collaborative project will directly support our community heroes.

Project Deliver The Love begins on December 14th, 2020, and will run through January 31st. (At that time, we will reassess our community’s needs and modify efforts as necessary.)

Here are three ways to get involved: 


1) Donate to the gofundme page!
All funds donated go directly toward delivering food and care packages to community healthcare heroes at Sentara RMH Medical Center. 
All funds are spent locally, and will support local small businesses in Harrisonburg/Rockingham who are able to provide meals and care packages. (This means we can support locally owned restaurants/small businesses, and meet the needs of those working on the front lines as well! It’s a win/win!)
Meal deliveries will occur regularly across different hospital shifts with the goal of two to three meals for 100+ individuals weekly through the end of January. If we raise enough, we can do even more!

2) Put your message in writing!
Our Healthcare Workers need to hear from us. Many of them are isolated from their communities and families out of the need to protect them, and so our words of thanks and encouragement can speak volumes. 
Cards should be individually placed in plastic bags and sealed. (While this hurts our environmentally friendly hearts, this is a necessity for safe delivery). Stop by the Friendly City Food Coop downtown and place your messages in the community collection box.

3) Buy some extra snacks the next time you hit the grocery store!
While we plan to deliver nourishing meals on a routine basis, we also recognize that many of our healthcare heroes don’t get the chance to sit down and enjoy a meal on every shift. So it’s important we get them options that they can consume more quickly. Imagine you had only a five minute break on a stressful and packed day: what would you eat to keep you going? Now buy a box of those, and send them in!
Like the cards, all food needs to be individually wrapped. Keep this in mind when shopping. Food donations can also be delivered to the Friendly City Food Coop downtown (look for the labeled collection bin)!