Staying home in times of quarantine for COVID-19 does not mean turning the back to our community. This is how the residents of the Sucre neighborhood in Barquisimeto, Lara, understand it. A small group of them was concerned about the situation of older adults living in nursing homes after they saw several pictures of “Los Pelegrinos” home on social media. So they began to discuss it with their neighbors and concluded that they could donate food. They had a good amount of provisions less than 24 hours later, handed out by local families.
Carla Ramírez and Keyna Burgos were two of the neighbors contributing to this laudable initiative.
Carla enthusiastically tells us: “The initiative was taken and very quickly people began to bring food to a table that we set on the ground floor of a multifamily building Rice, flour, sugar, pasta. Each one according to their possibilities. So the next day we took the donation to “Los Pelegrinos” nursing home.
“When the initiative spread and people saw the results, other neighborhoods were encouraged”, Carla affirmed. Those who did not collaborate at first showed sympathy for the initiative and joined. Residents of the Malecón neighborhood also joined to collaborate.
A second food donation was organized by the residents of Sucre and El Malecón neighborhoods, bound to the “José Gregorio Contreras” nursing home, on 48th street.
People from other neighborhoods have shown their desire to join and continue supporting the nursing homes for the elderly across the city. Not only food is required. They need sheets, mattress covers, adult diapers, among other products.
Neighbors during the donations reception days have insisted on observing the safety standards for COVID-19 and made sure people comply with them. The collection of food has been done avoiding crowds and products are cleaned before delivered.
PROVEA welcomes this laudable initiative that reflects the positive side of the Venezuelan people and their ability to act collectively and resiliently amid the current health emergency for supporting a very vulnerable sector of Venezuelan society. At present, it is very important to take care of ourselves and our family but also to think that not all of us are on equal terms to stay at home. There are people in great need who require not only the support of families and communities but also of an efficient and swift State so that the quarantine does not translate into more hardships for those already suffering from multiple deficiencies.
