Riverton church members collect, deliver essentials to elderly trapped inside because of COVID-19
Mar 17, 2020 11:32AM ● By Stephanie Yrungaray
The Gospel Hope Church in Riverton is seeking donations of nonperishable items to help the elderly and immune compromised who can’t get supplies at the store because of the COVID-19 scare. (Photo courtesy of Paul Fulks)
By Stephanie Yrungaray | [email protected]
The uncertainty of COVID-19 sent people scrambling for supplies and left grocery store shelves empty of many essentials. While many people worked to fill their own cupboards, two members of a Riverton church looked beyond their own needs and set up a plan to encourage helping and hope.
Paul Fulks, a member of the Gospel Hope Church in Riverton was talking to a fellow parishioner Nick Peterson after seeing posts on Facebook about seniors struggling to get groceries.
“The elderly don’t need to be out in public,” Fulks said. “We see grocery stores are empty of nonperishable food items and cleaning supplies. We need to be able to get supplies to them.”
Fulks and Peterson got permission to designate Gospel Hope Church (11869 South 2700 West in Riverton) as a donation center, setting up hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week to accept donations of “nonperishable food, cleaning supplies, and personal hygiene items” that they can then turn around and give to elderly and at-risk citizens. They are calling the campaign, “Hope and Help for our City.”
“People [in need] can call, come to the church, or contact us through social media,” Fulks said. “We are able to deliver to them if they need that as well.”
Two days after the start of Hope and Help for our City, around 300 items had been donated. Needs have been filled including distilled water for a grandmother’s CPAP (sleep apnea) machine, and several items delivered to homebound residents. Fulks said they are also reaching out to local nursing homes and hope to deliver donated items that are needed.
In this time of fear and self-isolation, their campaign is showing that people can and want to do better.
“We hope that this will serve as a reminder that in times like these, it is much better to give and share than to hoard,” Fulks said. “We just hope that our neighbors will see the love of Jesus that has transformed the lives of the people in our church.”
If you are interested in donating nonperishables or know someone in need, you can contact Gospel Hope Church at @gospelhopechurch on Instagram, @gospelhoperiverton on Facebook, or at 801-254-2147.
