Text Only

Have people in your community supported one another during the pandemic? Talk about why or why not, and maybe give some examples.

I think that my community is divided. There is a part of the community that is very supportive of others and that is trying to work to care for people who are struggling during the pandemic. Another portion of my community seems to be in denial that the pandemic is an issue and they do not seem as supportive. I have seen many people coming out to volunteer for things like testing and vaccination drives and there have been many fundraisers and drives to donate to local charities. Early on in the pandemic one of my favorite local restaurants was closed but held an event where you could purchase groceries from them that were originally intended to be part of their menu. You could donate to a fund to make grocery deliveries to families in need. They were also selling things like hand sanitizer made by a local distillery. This restaurant uses a lot of local farms and producers for their menu so I was pleased to support the business and in turn support all of those other local businesses. There have been a number of fundraisers similar to this throughout the community. In addition, in my school community, one member of another class lost her house in a fire and we all donated money and supplies to furnish her new apartment. There have been a number of events like this and I have tried to give where I was able. I felt that a lot of these activities happened in the spring and summer when things were more uncertain. Recently I have noticed that a large portion of my community seems indifferent to their impact on others and willfully ignores that pandemic. They continue to eat out at restaurants and refuse to wear masks. I know that these people may have many reasons for doing these things but they are directly impacting others in their community. When they go to a restaurant they are at risk of getting or transmitting coronavirus. The restaurant workers are there because they have to work, and they are being exposed to all of these people who just can't seem to stay home. Then again, not everyone has a kitchen or a good way to eat at home and for some people going to a restaurant may be an essential part of their human contact for the week. It is difficult to judge someone for going out at this point because I can't imagine how hard it would be to hardly leave your house for a year. I have felt lucky in some ways that I am in a program that gives me a reason to talk to people and to go out in public. At other times I have felt anxious about being around people and about the risk to myself and to others.