“Adopt a Senior” Program Brings Joy to Residents in Need and the Volunteers Who Reach Out to Help

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Key Biscayne Community Foundation has paired volunteers with seniors in need, which has led to some genuine acts of kindness leaving seniors feeling less alone (Key News/Grant Bemis)

The Key Biscayne Community Foundation has put together numerous resources for Key Biscayne residents during the COVID-19 pandemic – and while the goal is simply to meet immediate needs, the result goes even deeper by providing human connections during a lonely and uncertain time.

Among these resources is the Seniors in Need Program, which pairs seniors on the Key with volunteers who Adopt a Senior and complete grocery pickup and other daily tasks to allow the at-risk seniors to stay home during the quarantine. People over age 65 are shown to have more severe symptoms if they contract COVID-19.

This program has allowed for almost 100 seniors to stay at home and receive their groceries in a safe and low-risk manner. Overwhelmingly, the response has been positive, with the seniors feeling taken care of and the volunteers heartened by the opportunity to give back to their community in a time of crisis.

Organizers say Key Biscayne has once again shown itself to be a resilient and responsive community in the face of a challenge to overcome.

Kristen Connell, a volunteer for Adopt a Senior, wrote about one of her experiences after program coordinator Rumya Sundaram, who leads the Village’s Citizen Scientist program, reached out and asked her if she could adopt another senior. A new name had been added, Sundaram told her, and there was a limited number of volunteers who had completed their required medical checks.

“I called the woman she mentioned, and she gave me a list of items she needed – being very specific about the brands she wanted and specific quantities,” Connell said. “Of course, I knew pickins are slim, so I said I’d do the best I could. She told me she was 100 years old and diabetic, so she had to be careful.  At the end she said, ‘And wine…I like to have a little wine at night, but not the expensive kind.’ I added this to my list, and when I got to the store I noticed there was a brand that was buy-one-get-one-free. I figured at 100 years old, she definitely deserved some wine!

“I decided to get her some fresh cut flowers to add to the package, and then went to drop off the groceries at her apartment. She actually had the door open waiting for me (of course we were careful to stay 6 feet apart!). I explained I couldn’t get the exact brands, and mentioned the buy-one-get-one-free sale. She was delighted. I then gave her the flowers and said, ‘I think we could all use a little lift these days.’

“She teared up and said she hadn’t received flowers in a long time. I teared up too, overwhelmed with the times and with being able to connect with people I never would have otherwise. She asked if I had children and wanted to thank me by giving something to them. I declined, but she was extremely grateful. I walked away knowing I had helped someone and brightened her day in a way I wouldn’t have expected.

“It felt good to be able to help someone in these crazy times of managing work, my children, the opinions of everyone around you, and the anxiousness that’s brewing in all of us.  Thank you for connecting us!”

Connell was also grateful for the opportunity to involve her daughter in an act of kindness.

Knowing she would be delivering to her new adopted senior again over the Easter weekend, she began to reflect on how hard it must be for individuals who wouldn’t be surrounded by family over the holiday.

“My daughter, McKenzie, a 6^th-grader at Ransom Everglades, had some time off from school. I asked McKenzie if she would be willing to make a card that I could leave with her and the groceries,” Connell said. “When I returned from work, McKenzie had created this beautiful card.  I went to the store to shop for my senior, and added an orchid to the groceries to add some holiday color in her house.”

“When I dropped off the groceries, I explained we wanted to provide her some cheer over the holiday. Again, she teared up, which then made me tear up, as she shared this had been a particularly challenging week for her. She shared some of her challenges, and it became apparent how much the act of just listening and showing that there was a wider community here on Key Biscayne that cared made a world of difference to her.

“I walked away feeling that I had been given more than she had this past week, knowing that McKenzie and I had helped her just a little in a vulnerable time.”