In times like these, when the national news can be very discouraging, it’s important to remember that we have the power to make our own positive news headlines. We’ve heard many inspiring stories of communities coming together at this time to help one another. We’d love to hear examples from you so the light can shine bright through the darkness during these hard times. 

We’re waiting for this storm to pass, keeping a safe, social distance from others while our sanity feels increasingly out of reach. It’s a bit like the cabin fever we feel after a long winter in Vermont when we’re craving connection and community. 

We may not know what the future will hold, but we do know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel if we do the right thing—take care of ourselves and one another:

• Check on your neighbors, especially elderly folks. A phone call is all it takes.
• Get groceries and medicine for family, friends and neighbors who are sick and leave them in a safe place for them to pick up outside.
• Make or buy a meal for someone who has just lost their job and deliver it to their door.
• Donate to a cause that provides food and basic support for people in need.

Neighbors-helping-neighbors isn’t just a quaint idea, it has been a way of life for generations in our small, tight-knit community in Vermont and in many communities across America. When so much is out of our control, we turn to one another, bridging the real and imagined distance between us and building our collective strength.

It doesn’t take much to get started, just an idea, some conviction and action. So, do what you can to help someone today. Do something more tomorrow. Before long, you’ll find the distance has disappeared, replaced by a connection that lasts longer than our troubles will.