Regardless of when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts lifts or lessens stay-at-home orders related to the COVID-19 health pandemic, the need will remain throughout the rest of 2020 for South Shore business owners and neighbors to help and support each other. As we’ve all likely heard, unfortunately, it won’t be a matter of us blinking our eyes or snapping our fingers and “poof!” everything is back to the way it was pre-pandemic. There will be some long-lasting implications from Coronavirus, and some things will be forever changed. This all means that we will need to continue to look out for each other as we always have, here on Boston’s South Shore.
We’ve put together some ideas for supporting our neighbors and businesses, but please do share with us anything you believe we should add to this list. It is definitely not meant to be exclusive, but rather provide some food for thought regarding actions you can take that will make a difference in your South Shore neighborhood, and in the South Shore community, as a whole.
HOW TO HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS
While Stay-at-Home Orders Remain in Effect
- Continue to social distance. As you are out and about walking, biking, running, etc., leave 6 feet between you and others who you come across.
- Greet neighbors you know and don’t know. Ask them how they are doing and share some positive or hopeful info. or news.
- Ask how you can help. Check in with neighbors to see if you can grab them anything at the store or help in other ways, particularly neighbors who have compromised health or are elderly.
- Schedule street meet-ups. Text or call your favorite neighbors to do a socially distanced meet-up in the street on a nice weather day.
- Celebrate milestones. If a neighbor is celebrating a birthday, anniversary, a new baby or grand baby, make a sign with materials you have at home to show at their window or door, or that you can hang in their yard.
- Hold off on home visits. Don’t enter into neighbors’ homes or ask them to enter yours.
- Entertain passer-bys. Put fun things like stuffed animals in your yard or windows for children to get excited about as they are out walking or biking by.
- Share inspiration or a smile. Create encouraging, thoughtful signs to post in your yard or windows to encourage others and provide a laugh, smile, or hope.
- Support a local food bank. We all may have a neighbor who is struggling, but embarrassed to ask for help. Food banks allow recipients to remain anonymous. In addition to the Weymouth, Norwell, Hingham Interfaith, Braintree, Scituate, Canton, Marshfield, and Pembroke Food Pantries, you can donate to food pantries served by the South Shore Community Action Council’s Food Distribution Center that are listed here.
- Help hourly workers who are unable to get paid because they can’t work right now. Check out South Shore Tip Jar: https://www.southshoretipjar.com/.
- Sign up for the nextdoor.com site, if you don’t have a login.
- Check nextdoor.com regularly. See if there are any neighbor requests for help or information that you can respond to.
As Stay-at-Home Orders Begin to Lift
- Continue to social distance, as described above, for a while, particularly with elderly and health-compromised neighbors. Better safe than sorry!!!
- Keep the good neighbor practices above going!
- Once stay-at-home orders have been lifted for a couple of weeks, if you have a need to make food for a neighbor, visit in their home, or have them visit in your home, wear a mask and ask them to do so, and make sure all parties are regularly washing or sanitizing hands.
HOW TO HELP SOUTH SHORE/LOCAL BUSINESSES
While Stay-at-Home Orders Remain in Effect
- Pay it forward by paying in advance. If prior to our pandemic, you received regular personal, home or business-related services, such as
hair- and nail-related ones, or home or business office cleaning services, and you can afford to pay in advance for future services you’ll receive, check in with the individual or firm who provides them. They could really be hurting financially and such gestures could mean the difference between them opening up their business again post-pandemic, and more importantly allow them to put food on their family’s table. - Buy a gift card and give your favorite local business a lift. In keeping with the above, consider purchasing gift cards now from restaurants or other service businesses that you can use in the future.
- Be proactive about asking for pick-up service. If there are other small businesses from which you purchase tangible items such as food, hardware, or home and garden supplies, if you’re not comfortable visiting their store-front, consider placing a pick-up/take-out order. We’ve found that even hardware stores are willing to take a pick-up order to avoid your having to spend time in their store. Why not at least ask if there are creative ways for you to place and receive an order.
- Protect everyone’s employees. To keep restaurant, grocery store, and other businesses’ employees safe, wash or sanitize your hands before you enter their establishment and wear a mask.
- Plan now for future home and business projects and needs. If you know you’ll have a need for future services related to your home and business, including renovation/improvement ones — take the time to reach out to appropriate organizations to get a quote/estimate on your work now. Many organizations, like us at South Shore Roofing, are offering virtual estimate services right now.
As Stay-at-Home Orders Begin to Lift
- Continue to take action to keep the employees of businesses you visit safe, by washing or sanitizing hands and wearing a mask.
- As your financial situation allows, shop locally. Purchase both intangible services and tangible goods and services from South Shore businesses to help stimulate the local economy and support the future viability of some of your favorite restaurants, salons, home contractors, etc. We know you’ll agree that it would be a shame to lose some of our local treasures and business experts due to pandemic economic impacts. And, the best way to ensure that this doesn’t happen is to support them when and how we can. Every little bit helps!
Speaking of helping, we are always here to to do so. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to ask us a question about roof repair, renovation, replacement, or installment.
