New Pelham Support Network organizing food, medicine deliveries
The Fenwick Lions Club, in conjunction with the Town of Pelham and local businesses, has created what it is calling the Pelham Support Network as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Residents who are unable or unwilling to go out shopping can place orders with nine local businesses and services in the morning. Service club volunteers will then deliver those items to people’s doors that afternoon.
“The person ordering the stuff needs to call the store, order it, and pay for it, and we’ll go pick it up,” Fenwick Lions member Ryan Van Lochem told the Voice.
Van Lochem said the plan came together over the past two weeks as the global pandemic evolved.
“On [March 11], we basically brought it up at our meeting that we had to do something,” he said.
The Fenwick Lions then reached out to the Town, the Fonthill Lions and the Kinsmen. Very quickly, enough volunteers were enlisted.
“We had 15 volunteers registered, we’ve actually pulled [the application form] off for now, I don’t want to get too many,” Van Lochem said.
All volunteers making deliveries have been told to take precautions, including using gloves or hand sanitizer, and to practice physical distancing at all times. Van Lochem said the support network will go on as long as needed.
“After [last Friday’s Ontario emergency alert], I’m sure in the coming weeks it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” he said.
He added that the service isn’t necessarily just for Pelham’s high seniors’ population.
“It could be a single mom even, stuck at home with her kids,” he said.
Participating businesses include PharmaChoice Fonthill, Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Fonthill and on South Pelham Road, DeVries Fruit Farm, the Fenwick Pie Company, Pelham Cares, plus Fonthill Sobeys, which will take orders only on Wednesdays and Fridays from 7 to 11 AM.
For a full list of participating businesss, visit fabulousfenwicklions.org, or call Brittany Maclean at the Town at 905-892-2607, extension 372.
