Patricia’s Story

My name is Patricia, and like a lot of other people, I’ve struggled during the coronavirus outbreak. However, I’m also one of the people that contracted the virus. Back in January I caught the virus from a neighbor, but I didn’t know it at the time. I experienced many of the flu-like symptoms associated with COVID-19. I called my doctor and he treated me for an upper respiratory virus and I stayed at home. It all turned out okay. Much later I went to my doctor and learned that I carried the antibodies. While that experience was difficult, it was actually sheltering-in-place that ending up causing me a lot more anxiety.

During the shut-down, I needed to go out for groceries. But I was afraid to take the bus because I didn’t know if I would get sick again. I ended up going to Rite Aid and CVS close by for food, but it was much more expensive than the grocery store. I ended up running out of money towards of the end of the month and didn’t know what I was going to do. I was so thankful that I mentioned this to my doctor. He immediately told me about United Way’s 2-1-1 helpline.

I called 2-1-1 when I got home and they were so nice to me. They sent food out to my house and I was so relieved. They told me to call back at any time if I ran into trouble again. It surprised me how quick and easy it was to solve my problem. I appreciated it so much. They were so friendly.

I haven’t called back because I have money in my pocket again. But it’s nice to know that if that ever happened again, I know I can call 2-1-1 and they’ll be there for me. I was so happy with the experience that I posted it to Facebook. I hope that others will call if they need help. Everyone should know they don’t have to struggle if they get into a pinch.

Thanks to the generous support of United Way donors, the Emergency Basic Needs Fund is helping people across the region with food, transportation, rent and utilities.