BY KEVIN DUGGAN
A Carroll Gardens high schooler is offering to deliver groceries to help local old-timers avoid crowds amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“This seems like the best I can do with my abilities, because the grocery stores have been really crazy with everybody stockpiling,” said Maeve Foley. “I think it’s really scary for senior citizens navigating that kind of environment.”
The charitable 17-year-old has posted flyers this week around the brownstone neighborhood, offering to pick up and deliver on Sunday mornings for anyone 65 years of age or older.
“I’ll stop by whatever grocery store they want me to,” she said.
Foley said she’s already had other do-gooders reach out to help her with the project.
“Some other young, able-bodied people have taken down my number and we’re going to be in contact depending on how many people we get,” she said.
In order to prevent further spread of COVID-19 while doing her deliveries, the youngster will take several precautions against the highly-contagious respiratory illness, like wearing a face mask and gloves, and sanitizing her equipment in between deliveries.
The senior’s school in Manhattan shut down last week due to the virus and she was eager to do her part to make life easier for her neighbors during the outbreak, which has swept the city and has largely shut down or limited businesses in the borough.
She has not received any calls from senior citizens yet, but she hopes that her efforts will help the nabe’s most vulnerable.
“I think with something like this it’s really hard to know how to help, especially when we’re all supposed to be quarantining,” she said. “There are a lot of older people in my neighborhood and we’ve been wanting to help them out.”
This story first appeared on brooklynpaper.com.
