LEVERETT — A task force created by the Board of Health has put together a resource line to support residents during the statewide COVID-19 stay-at-home advisory.
Open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. starting Monday, the line is staffed by knowledgeable volunteers who can provide residents with information about the resources and services available in the area, such as grocery and prescription deliveries and curbside pickup.
The number is 413-345-5072. Messages can be left if calls come in outside the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. timeframe. Calls will be returned the next day.
According to Barbara Tiner, a Leverett resident of 24 years and one of the volunteers who staffs the resource line, the Board of Health — anticipating how difficult the pandemic would be, especially for the town’s elderly residents and people living alone — put out a request for suggestions on how to best assist townspeople. Tiner said she and two other residents came up with the idea for the resource line and set to work recruiting volunteers.
In addition to finding people to staff the resource line, the three residents recruited volunteers interested in delivering groceries and prescriptions to those who can’t leave their homes, as well as providing welfare checks. Tiner said there are currently about a dozen volunteers involved, but that anyone interested in helping is encouraged to call the resource line.
“It’s really just trying to be neighborly, to get you some groceries and put the resources all in one place,” Tiner explained, noting that the list of resources the volunteers work from is expected to be posted on the Leverett town website. “We know that needs and resources may change as we move through this pandemic, but we’re here to help as best as we can.”
The task force advises this is not an emergency line, and residents with medical emergencies should still call 911.