By Allison Perrine
LITTLE SILVER – Knowing the COVID-19 pandemic would have greater impacts on certain community groups than others, three Little Silver women came together to form a grassroots group that could lend a hand.
Spearheaded by Jennifer McGagh, Taryn Lenahan and Corinne Thygeson, Little Silver Helpers now has over 100 volunteers who help throughout the community. Their most recent effort aids special needs children in the Red Bank-based HABcore program.
“What we initially thought was we wanted to help those who were on the frontlines of the pandemic, and at the same time we wanted to help the businesses in our town survive,” said McGagh.
That meant ordering food from different restaurants and delis in town and delivering meals to the hospitals and doctor’s offices. It also meant running errands for the elderly or those impacted by the novel coronavirus. As weeks went on, the women started taking donations and, as money came in, they were able to expand their services.
“This community right now with this whole pandemic, we’re never going to forget this time in our lives,” said Marta Quinn, senior director of development with HABcore. And that includes the families who have been aided by the Little Silver Helpers. “I’m just so impressed and I’m so pleased to be a part of this.”
HABcore provides permanent housing and support for people in need. As the pandemic hit, members recognized the challenges that would soon face special needs children in its program – especially with the disruption of in-home instruction. There are about 125 children in the program throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties and 40 of them have varying disabilities, according to Quinn.
That was one of the number one concerns for HABcore when the pandemic hit, Quinn said. “We were really concerned because when you don’t have this type of therapy for even a short period of time, it can make an additional challenge for these kids. It’s that much harder for them to recover, get back in the education mode.”
Little Silver Helpers got involved with HABcore through Thygeson, a former part-time employee of the organization. She knew that since the group sometimes needed help before the pandemic, it could surely use some during this challenging time. From there, HABcore’s case management team provided a list of special needs children in the program along with three wish list items for each child and their siblings.
With the assistance of dozens of community members, the Helpers were able to complete each child’s wish list. HABcore case managers and staff delivered the goodie bags throughout the week. Gifts included educational toys, soft textured items, puzzles donated by Distinctive Toys in Fair Haven and more.
“This amazing group came full-speed ahead and provided – with a really short period of time – an amazing boatload, literally, of gifts for these kids so they can have some joy,” and still receive the educational services they need, said Quinn. “It’s about all of us coming together to help the entire family.” HABcore also received several “major donations” and was able to provide laptops to these families so they could receive telehealth, said Quinn.
Aside from the goodie bags, Little Silver Helpers has teamed up with local police to expand its “Code Red” system, which provides residents with emergency information. The Helpers went through voter records and identified the seniors in town who are age 80 or above. The volunteers then reached out to those individuals to see if they were registered with Code Red, if they had masks, or had other needs. They helped get about a quarter of the 80-plus population in town on the Code Red system.
While the original goal of the Helpers was to assist those in need during the pandemic, the organizers plan to continue it as long as they can. Even after the initial funds are depleted, the group wants people to know they’re still around and can be contacted if anyone needs help. Anyone interested in learning more about Little Silver Helpers, volunteering or donating can email LittleSilverHelpers@gmail.com, call 732-383-5017, Venmo @LittleSilver-Helpers or visit its Facebook page.
The article originally appeared in the July 16 – 22, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
