Resident gives a Helping Hand to the elderly and vulnerable
A Maidstone woman is providing a ‘Helping Hand’ to her local community during the Coronavirus lockdown.
Golding resident Cheri O’Hara knew she wanted to help make things a little easier for others during the current crisis, so she brought together a small group of volunteers to support those in need.
Cheri said: “At the start of the lockdown I really felt the need to do something to help my elderly and vulnerable neighbours, so created the group ‘Tovil Helping Hands’ with some local volunteers. Over 800 people throughout Maidstone are involved with the group, whether this is through contributing or receiving donations”.
The volunteers deliver food parcels and carry out shopping and collect prescriptions. Local charity ‘Making a Difference to Maidstone’ is also supporting the group by providing items such as flowers and Easter eggs, helping to put a smile on people’s faces.
“I really wanted to set up the group to help raise morale and spirits of those in need and bring the community together,” said Cheri. “We are working with other Maidstone agencies, collecting surplus food, and creating food boxes to donate safely to our residents. We also receive donations of hygiene products and provide items to three care homes in the Tovil area.
“I am really proud of the work that Tovil Helping Hands are doing and would like to thank all the hard-working volunteers who are helping to make a difference to others, from cooking and distributing home-made soup, to collecting donations and providing valuable moral support."
If you would like to get involved with Tovil Helping Hands you can contact Cheri O’Hara on the Tovil Helping Hand Covid-19 Facebook page.