‘Neighbor Brigade’ In The Caldwells Shops For Seniors Amid COVID

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The following article comes courtesy of the West Essex Neighbor Brigade. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

A daughter in Texas can rest easy knowing her parents have access to groceries and other essentials during the pandemic. The West Caldwell couple is among more than a dozen senior citizens and other homebound area residents currently receiving assistance from West Essex Neighbor Brigade, a network of local volunteers ready to be mobilized during a sudden crisis.

Over the last five months, Neighbor Brigade volunteers have performed more than 300 acts of kindness, including delivering groceries and shopping for members of the community who are particularly vulnerable to contracting the COVID-19 virus.

“The organization instituted a protocol to ensure the safety of its volunteers as well as those they service, including the requirement that all volunteers participate in background checks and COVID safety training,” said Carol DeFrance of West Caldwell, co-leader of the West Essex Neighbor Brigade with Barbara Bruchac of West Caldwell and Sarah Solie of Caldwell.

In early April, Neighbor Brigade participated in a task force organized jointly by the mayors of Caldwell, West Caldwell and North Caldwell and the West Essex Ministerial Association (WEMA) to identify needs in the community. The task force included representatives from Congregation Agudath Israel, First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell, Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church, St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church and St. Peter's Episcopal Church, as well as Crane’s Mill and the Caldwell Health and Human Services Department.

Helping seniors stay safe and healthy was clearly a critical need, and Neighbor Brigade already had the structure in place to help. The group partnered with Jack’s Super Foodtown in Caldwell where on Thursday mornings volunteers gather in the parking lot to pick up groceries. Seniors can call the supermarket to place and pay for their orders in advance, a contactless system which has proved to be convenient and efficient. Alternatively, volunteers are able to shop at other area grocery stores.

Helpers include longtime brigadier Patty D’Angelo of West Caldwell. Patty alone has undertaken more than 60 personal shopping trips since the start of the pandemic. Among the newer recruits is a Spanish-speaking woman who is helping communicate the specific needs of a single mother.

“More than 50 new volunteers have registered with the network since April, including local folks who are now working from home, and high school and college students with newfound time on their hands,” said Solie. “The wonderful thing about Neighbor Brigade is that you can choose opportunities that work around your schedule and within your comfort level.”

The efforts to date have been met with much gratitude. “One senior received her groceries on the day of her 93rd birthday,” Bruchac said, “She told her volunteer that the act of kindness was the best birthday present she could ever ask for.”

Neighbor Brigade is also delivering a non-tangible essential: companionship. “As I have taken orders over the phone, I've been able to chat with residents every Wednesday,” said Solie. “We talk about what fruits and vegetables are in season and sometimes exchange recipe ideas. One of the seniors we serve spent a few moments recounting her memories of the measles epidemic of the early 1960s.”

West Essex Neighbor Brigade, founded in 2017, is the first New Jersey chapter of Neighbor Brigade, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Massachusetts. Through a user-friendly website, volunteers can register to receive emails alerting them about current needs in the community. The organization serves residents facing a sudden crisis who could use short-term assistance with tasks such as grocery shopping, meal preparation, rides to medical appointments, light household chores and dog walking. (Please note, all services besides shopping have been suspended temporarily due to safety concerns.)

For more information and to enroll as a Neighbor Brigade volunteer, visit www.neighborbrigade.org. Caregivers and those in need of assistance should call 973-321-7353 or email westessexnj@neighborbrigade.org.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

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