Volunteers such as Town Board Member Jason Lichtenthal are Helping Community Members Impacted by COVID-19
With the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, families all across the country have been quarantined in their houses, unable to leave. As a result, they are not able to receive some of the basic supplies previously available to them, including toilet paper, soap or disinfectant spray. However, the town of New Castle has recognized the urgent need for many of the community members, and spearheaded “The New Castle Volunteer Match” on Facebook to alleviate many of the pressures at home and personal challenges caused by the coronavirus.
Since the Town Board created the program on March 22nd, Town-Board member, Jason Lichtenthal has been an active participant, delivering supplies to residents all over New Castle. “We were hearing so many people between Facebook, text messages and emails to the town asking how they can help,” Lichtenthal stated. The program utilizes Facebook as the medium, in which “some people post what they need and some people post what they can offer.”
Lichtenthal described how members of the community have embraced the program, willingly offering a hand to those in need. “The ultimate goal of the program is to recognize that in this time of crisis there are needs that exist beyond the scope of town programs and services. We wanted to make sure that the needs of our community were fulfilled.” When asked on how people get matched together, Lichtenthal stated that “It’s mostly to match people with whether they have special skills, time or resources to help anyone in the community.”
It is also important to recognize the necessity of staying safe during the deliveries. This includes wearing gloves and keeping a safe distance between others. Lichtenthal explains that when he makes deliveries he has “reusable gloves, Lysol, disinfecting wipes “and so forth. However, as Lichtenthal describes, “it is not an exact science by any means.”
With many other programs stretched thin during this time period, including the Recreation and Parks Department as well as social workers, Lichtenthal acknowledges that “there are only so many things that they can do, so this is something we can do to help supplement this.”
The generosity of the community has inspired Lichtenthal to help support others during this stressful period. “Anything that we can do to help support our community, to make sure we can continue to help our businesses thrive and have our people is key.
To access the New Castle Volunteer Match page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/235308037530428/?ref=share
The store is entirely curated by owner Tanya Tochner, an 18-year resident of Chappaqua. Tochner recently closed her jewelry store in Armonk to focus on the expansion of her business into home design at the Chappaqua Crossing location.
I’m writing this on a grey, damp day in October, cozy in my loose ‘at home’ clothes. I guess the gloomier, chillier weather had to arrive sooner or later after one of the most spectacular Septembers on record. I was grateful for the extra stretch of summer, but equally so for the rains that help us transition through seasons, too. Mother Nature knows what she’s doing if we don’t mess with her too much! And as we head full full steam ahead into fall and winter temps, I do ponder the comforts of home, and feel ever grateful for my own. When it’s grey, there are fewer temptations. I get more of my ‘serious’ work done (like writing this column!). But I can also opt for lazy.