Food help available locally amid coronavirus crisis

Mar. 15--WILKES-BARRE -- The Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank and the Area Agency on Aging are doing their part to help residents during the COVID-19 outbreak.

To aid those who are considered highly vulnerable to the virus, volunteers spent Saturday morning preparing boxes of shelf-stable food items for delivery.

"Many of these seniors that are homebound have underlying conditions," said Gene Brady, executive director of the food bank. "We're hopeful to put this in place to be able to provide them the food they need during this time."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people 50 and older are at higher risk to contract COVID-19.

Brady said the food bank has been preparing for this for the past couple of weeks. He said the food bank ordered enough nonperishables and had enough donations to pack at least 6,000 boxes for homebound senior citizens in Luzerne and Wyoming counties.

Before the volunteers began, they took precautions to prevent the possible spread of the coronavirus by washing their hands thoroughly before putting on no-rip industrial gloves. Even while they packed the boxes for delivery, the volunteers kept a safe distance from each other.

In older adults, early warning signs of the virus include difficulty breathing and shortness of breath, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or an inability to arouse, and blue lips or face.

Contact the writer:

[email protected];

570-821-2051

Tips for senior citizens

--Contact your health care provider about getting extra necessary medications. If medications can't be obtained in person, there are several home-delivery options such as CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Harold's Pharmacy, Medicine Shoppe, Cooks and DePietro's.

--Stock up on over-the-counter medications that treat fever and other symptoms.

--Have enough household items, cleaning supplies and groceries on hand to get through social distancing and a possible quarantine.

--If you need groceries or food, consider an online delivery service such as Gerrity's, Walmart, InstaCart or Meals on Wheels.

--The CDC recommends creating a "buddy system" to make sure vulnerable and hard-to-reach people stay connected. This can be done through family, friends, churches, social groups or neighbors.

Numbers to call for additional aging services:

Luzerne/Wyoming counties: 570-822-1158

Lackawanna County: 570-963-6707

Monroe County: 570-420-3735

Wayne County: 570-253-4262

Pike County: 570-775-5550

Susquehanna County: 570-278-3751

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