All you have to do right now to become discouraged is to turn on the news. It doesn’t take but a minute or two to become totally overwhelmed and/or discouraged just by reading one article online about Covid-19.
As much as there is bad news, there is also good news. Personally, this good news has truly given me hope in our future, hope for my children and granddaughter, and hope in humanity.
In my hometown, a young man who normally plays gigs at local restaurants on the week-ends has raised $15,000 for employees of the restaurants with virtual concerts. He simply has asked people to donate what they can to help provide some relief.
A bar owner is Georgia pulled $3700 off of the walls of her business to pay her employees.
A couple in Houston, Texas leave behind a $9,400 tip at a restaurant that will go to pay employees.
A seven year old boy in Maryland takes $600 of his savings to purchase Care Packages for senior citizens in his area. When he goes to Target to get some items, Target also donates money to help him with the care packages.
So many have used social media or the internet to visit with family and friends. It helps to bring a smile to our loved ones faces during these trying days.
As much as we attempt to not look at the news, we cannot help but be concerned about what the future will bring. Feeling blessed to have a safe place to live, food in the refrigerator, a hot shower, and a place to rest my head at night, I personally can’t help to think about the ones that don’t have that luxury.
Unfortunately, with people out of work and children not in school, domestic violence is up. Children may not be getting necessary nutrition that they had the opporunity to have while at school.
Mental health is still out there and because some counselors aren’t currently seeing patients, problems such as alcohol and drug abuse can reappear to ones who may have been sober.
If you are struggling, here’s a few resources to help:
National Suicide Prevention – 1-800-273-8255
National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-800-799-7233
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) – 1-800-622-4357
National Eating Disorder Hotline – 1-800-931-2237
For children that normally rely on getting their nutrition at school, food banks are helping with drive through distribution. In some places, emergency food boxes are given out as well. You can find your local food bank at feedingamerica.com and simply putting your zip code in to find help in your area.
There has never been a time in history when the whole world has had to work on one problem.
There will be news that will cause us distress, but there will also be news that will provide support, kindness and most of all hope.
As Victor Hugo states, “In joined hands, there is still some token of hope; in a clinched fist, none.”
Have hope, my friends and never hesitate to reach out should you need help of any kind.
Terri Trepanier is the owner of Balanced Care Health and Supplemental Insurance and a licensed insurance consultant and broker with Associated Brokers. Licensed in both Maine and NH, her specialty is working with small businesses, individuals, and families with their health and life insurance needs. She is certified to offer health plans both on and off the exchange and is contracted with every health insurance company that offers plans in both New Hampshire and Maine. Her other passion is assisting Medicare beneficiaries with their Medicare Supplemental, Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans, and Medicare Advantage plans. Terri has seen firsthand the importance of insurancCare is to “Insure Security and Peace of Mind One Family at a Time”.