How goodness prevails in this difficult time
By Nicole Sandler
Northside News
My work as a staff member at United Way of Dane County reminds me every day how dedicated organizations help our community. I’m continually inspired by the many nonprofits that support those in need and devote themselves to fixing all that is broken in our system.
Especially now, in the midst of a debilitating pandemic, the work of organizations — from nonprofits and small businesses to large corporations — goes above and beyond to help others.
Yet this COVID-19 health crisis has opened my eyes to something else I hadn’t quite appreciated. There are countless individuals in our community who are stepping up with acts of kindness. I’ve discovered there are armies of people out there who wish to do good, to be supportive, to connect with someone who is struggling or hurting.
This invaluable reinforcement is something I owe to an online forum — a Facebook group. A product of social media, something I normally view with skepticism, has turned out for me to be a silver lining in this difficult time.
The Facebook group is called Dane County Neighbors Helping Neighbors, and it coalesced in the early weeks of the safer-at-home order. I don’t recall when I first started to follow it; but as I casually watched from the sidelines, I could sense it snowball into something big and beautiful. The group serves as a forum for those who need something specific or those who have something to give. Every request is very quickly met, along with kind and encouraging words.
There are so many examples of outreach I could list here — everything from needs for food or diapers or resources for overdue rent bills to bigger and scarier things. I recall early on reading a post from someone experiencing domestic abuse. Less than two hours after that message was posted, there were 96 responses. Most offered encouragement, hugs and prayers, along with the names of organizations that might offer shelter.
Members post when they need a ride to a pharmacy or to ask for cards to be mailed to their children to make them feel special on their birthday. Some post when they simply have something to give, such as spare furniture or an abundance of garden vegetables.
I marvel at the sheer number of posts each day and the speed of the responses each time a new request is posted. The posts I read move me to tears and often compel me to action. I’ve now connected with neighbors I never would have known about.
I’ve been able to join the collective efforts to mail a birthday card to a 13-year-old and drop off a small toy for a 1-year-old. Recently, my day was made when I had the chance to contribute a grocery store gift card to a Northside neighbor who had just moved into his own home after years of homelessness. And in one of the most emotional situations that affected our community this year, I offered my online support when a close friend of Anisa Scott’s family reached out specifically requesting hope and prayers.
This group has awakened my understanding of the power and spirit of community. So many people whom I never would have known have touched my life in ways big and small. I am humbled as I witness how much good exists at a time when life, for all of us, feels especially difficult. I’ve noticed that my connection to this group helps to squelch the undercurrent of fear and anxiety that continues to churn just below my surface. These brief touchpoints with others and the chance to act serve as an antidote.
Paulo Delgado, a motivated and compassionate member of our community, is the force behind Dane County Neighbors Helping Neighbors. Paulo is originally from Madison and lived on the Northside while attending Edgewood College. He had the idea to create a forum of this kind even before COVID-19. The timing of his launch of Neighbors Helping Neighbors was somewhat serendipitous, but it could not have been better.
Paulo serves as moderator of the group — not a trivial task as it now has nearly 12,000 members — yet he also takes time to simply check in and post the question, “How are you today?” This simple question is immediately grounding and creates a connection. He regularly posts “pet break” photos of his charismatic cat, Farley.
Paulo never expected Dane County Neighbors Helping Neighbors to take off in the way it has, and he continues to be surprised by the depth of its following and the goodness that it generates.
“The needs people are dealing with now because of the pandemic are a much more concentrated version of problems we’ve always had in our community,” said Paulo. “A lot of the issues we have now existed before, but were less noticeable.”
Hopefully, once life returns to “normal” post-pandemic, Neighbors Helping Neighbors will continue its meaningful work. I plan to stay connected and be reminded of all the good that we as neighbors can do for one another.