High school students from seven cities in Oregon are making use of their free time during the pandemic by serving their community. They are volunteering in an online grocery shopping and delivery service launched by another high school student. The site aims to help senior citizens who are at high risk during the pandemic.
PDX Concierge is a site operated by high school students. Neel Jain created the website, which quickly gained support from other teens in Oregon.
How did the teen come up with a free online grocery shopping and delivery service?
The idea of buying groceries for the elderly first came to Jain when he bought supplies for his grandmother.
Jain's grandma has asthma and cannot risk going out of the house for a grocery run. When Jain was buying the stuff for his grandmother, he thought of the other seniors who probably have the same problem as his grandmother.
Jain said in an interview with the TODAY Parents, "I realized that there are many other people in the community who don't have that family support."
The online grocery shopping and delivery service were first launched in April, during the pandemic. Since Jain was from the metropolitan of Portland, the assistance was initially available in that area. However, online grocery shopping and delivery service branched out to six different cities. That is due to the enthusiasm of other high school students in other areas of Oregon.
The service is entirely free. The only payment that the seniors would need to pay is for the supplies that they ordered.
The volunteers also make sure that they wear gloves and masks when doing the grocery. The drop off of the items is always contactless to ensure that they still follow the social distancing protocols set by health officials during the pandemic.
Also, to make things a little personal, volunteers from PDX Concierge write down notes for the recipients. Jain said that these notes are their way of encouraging the recipients to stay safe at home.
The reaction of the seniors on the online grocery shopping and delivery
Since there are older adults who do not have children or grandchildren who can support them, Jain's group's effort is beneficial to them.
Some seniors chose the online grocery shopping and delivery service of PDX Concierge because they want to stay safe from the virus.
According to Jain, they have been receiving big smiles and thank you notes from their recipients. More than the sense of fulfillment that the high school students feel every time they accomplish a delivery, they are happy that they have also built friendships along the way.
One of the recipients who patronize the online grocery shopping and delivery service of Neel and his friends said that if they are happy, there are children like Neel who are willing to help during the pandemic.
The risks of the pandemic to seniors
Studies have shown that the coronavirus is hitting older adults, ages 65 and above, harder than the rest of the population.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), eight out of ten deaths in the United States are in adults who are 65 years old and above.
