Caring when it’s most needed
Caremongers offer hope during difficult times
It’s been said that before the pandemic, the word “caremongering” did not exist. Whether this is technically true matters less than the uplifting actions that give people hope during anxious times. People across the country have been joining local Caremongers groups to offer assistance to those in need during COVID, particularly those who are isolated or at risk of health complications.
It was March 2020, just as the COVID restrictions were beginning in Nova Scotia, that Leslie Porter heard about a Caremongers group that had started in Toronto.
“I thought that if they can do that in a large city, then we could certainly do it here as well,” she recalls. “It began as a Facebook page, and before I knew it, we had 1,000 people.”
Caremongers WindsorWest Hants now has more than 3,000 members. It began with people preparing meals and buying groceries for seniors and others who were home-bound. There were times last spring and summer when Porter’s garage resembled a food warehouse. Most of the donations came from individual community members, Porter points out.
“We also received food donations from schools and local farms,” she says. “Sobeys gave us gift cards. Local Lions and Rotary clubs also gave us monetary donations at Christmas time.”
Caremongers also received support from like-minded community organizations including West Hants Family Resource Centre, Hantsport Food Bank, POSSE Project, CommUNITY Bus NS and Harvest House.
“Every month we bagged up groceries and took them out to families,” Porter says. “We also helped a number of families that didn’t have heat over the winter.”
By September they were delivering groceries to 90 families, and a second delivery at Christmas sent turkeys and groceries to 110 families.
Posts on Caremongers’ Facebook page are typically “ISO” – in search of, or “offering” – from people providing assistance. It could be somebody getting rid of kitchen appliances or furniture, or somebody with extra canned goods.
“There’s often a lack of communication among neighbours,” Porter says. “There are people out there who want to help and volunteer but are not sure who needs what. We know there are people out there who are experiencing hunger and homelessness, but often we don’t know who they are.”
Community members also began donating cash, and Caremongers was able to assist people who were facing financial difficulties because of medical issues. One group member who was a talented baker decided to raffle off a cheesecake. The idea caught on, and raffles became a Caremongers tradition. They were also able to locate living quarters for people who needed to quarantine.
Numerous tributes have poured in to Caremongers Windsor-West Hants. One came from a family that had lost their home to a fire during the pandemic, and had been provided with clothes, food, gift cards, personal hygiene items and cash. This same family, having received assistance, now checks the Caremongers page regularly to find ways they can pay it back and help others.
One senior summed up the activities of Caremongers succinctly.
“This group has completed hundreds of tasks, large and small. It has been a privilege to take part in these activities, each of us sharing what we are able, showing what can happen when one or two people have a great idea and share it with the community.”