Crescenta Cañada Cares Facebook group builds bridges amid coronavirus isolation
If you’re running low on milk or eggs during the coronavirus self-isolation period but don’t know which grocery store to go to, or you need help making face masks for quarantined seniors, worry not — Crescenta Cañada cares.
A new local Facebook page, Crescenta Cañada Cares, offers members a means of connecting resources or services with people in need.
So far, residents have offered up lemons, oranges and herbs from their yards, volunteered to perform pharmacy runs for people who cannot leave their homes and broadcast their own local grocery store “stock” tips.
“People are just looking for an opportunity to help people,” said La Crescenta resident Todd Franklin, who started the group on March 16. “This is a page where you can ask for help.”
Today Franklin, who works as a registered nurse in the county hospital’s ICU burn unit, moderates a group of more than 1,050 area residents willing to make or fulfill requests for information, items and assistance.
His page has helped broker a donation of charcoal to a neighbor, arranged the pickup of fabric for someone making face masks for senior facility residents and helped those with a surplus of flour, sanitizing wipes and gloves find willing takers.
Franklin has even used the page to volunteer his own time as an officiant for people who were planning on getting married and may be willing to forego a big affair for a small, outdoor wedding where social distancing rules would apply.
“I just wanted to create a safe place where people can ask for help and people can give help,” he said of the page. “I didn’t know it would explode like this.”
La Crescenta resident Libby Horne recently found herself using Facebook as a way to keep connected with the community as she, her husband and two children stay at home during Glendale Unified School District’s extended spring break.
She liked how the Crescenta Cañada Cares page was inspiring neighbors to share with one another, so posted a photo offering free oranges she and her son had picked from a tree in her yard. A few neighbors came by seeking citrus; she was all too happy to share.
“This kind of thing is a great way to feel like you’re doing something useful,” Horne said. “I think it’s a good way to respond to this kind of situation.”
Franklin said he hopes the group helps community members navigate what appears to be quickly becoming a new normal by connecting with those looking to help.
“It seems like this is the new reality for everybody — we’re just trying to discover a new path,” he said. “It’s tragic, but I think in the long run some good things will come out of it.”
