EVANSTON — In just a week, the local coronavirus response group has received an outpouring of generosity from individuals, businesses and nonprofit groups. Lise Freeman of Uinta Realty, Sue Norman and Aimee Ottley with the Uinta Senior Center and Kay Rossiter with the Lord’s Storehouse are all busy keeping up with the number of calls and responses to the article in the Friday, March 20 edition of the Herald.

Ottley said her entire staff is still working and they have plenty of work. Besides the deep cleaning and face lift to the center, the number of meals delivered has increased by 15%. Ottley hopes the increase will continue to grow by 30 or 40%. The Agency on Aging has now made meals available to anyone over the age of 60, regardless of income.

“Anyone wanting to sign up for Meals on Wheels can call us at 789-3553,” Ottley said. “After putting the information on Facebook and calling seniors, we have had 26 more people sign up for meals. The meals are a suggested $4 donation.”

The center’s staff in home health has continued to provide services and they operate just like a hospital with protective measures and care, Ottley said. She added that anyone who is working at the center has their temperature taken daily.

Norman told the Herald, “I am seeing the best side of this community. It is exciting to see the response we have been getting.”

Norman reported that $700 in cash donations have been received at First Bank and another $300 has been pledged. Norman and Ottley are in the process of setting up an online method of donating to the Coronavirus Response Fund. 

Smith’s, Walmart and citizens have donated food and other items. Those donations that have been received at Uinta Realty will be taken to the Lord’s Storehouse.

Other major donations include 20 cases of adult diapers and many varieties of shampoo and other products from Evanston Community Health Center Pharmacy on Yellow Creek Road; Walmart donated six cases of distilled water plus a monetary donation; the Holiday Inn donated six boxes of shampoo and other hotel-size products; Union Wireless gave a sizable donation for meals for the senior center in the Bridger Valley; and several local dentists have donated toothpaste, toothbrushes and dental floss.

BPI Lab is donating 11,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and 11,000 bottles of body wash. The Herald spoke with Ken Shirley of BPI, who said the products should be delivered to the senior center within the next few weeks and will be available to everyone in the community. Shirley said that BPI employees deserve the credit as they are donating their time to prepare and package the products.

“We at BPI are doing well but I feel sad and disappointed for all of the businesses that are suffering during this crisis,” Shirley said. “If the community needs more of the sanitizer and body wash, we will make more as long as it doesn’t affect production capacity.”

Norman said another exciting aspect of this effort has been the response of the youth in Evanston. The Evanston Youth Club is starting a letter-writing campaign. In the letter they will introduce themselves to seniors and ask to be a pen pal. The letters will be delivered to the senior center and will be distributed to seniors receiving meal deliveries. Because of HIIPA concerns for those involved, the letters will be addressed “Dear Friend” and signed with the youth’s first name only.

“This project will teach letter-writing skills to the youth at the club and will provide a socialization activity for the seniors as part of our grant requirement,” Norman said.

Uinta Meadows Elementary speech therapist Kate Schmidt is homeschooling her two sons while the public schools are closed. She and her boys, 10-year-old Brady and 9-year-old Dylan, decided to start a pen pal activity. Schmidt thought this would be a great learning activity and would keep the boys from being so bored and isolated.

Schmidt called Norman and asked if they would ask seniors at the center if they would like a pen pal. Schmidt said the boys are already writing up to six letters each a day to a great aunt, a great-grandmother and her friend, a woman in Colorado and one in Florida. She said the boys write about their favorite subjects, music, hobbies and more and the seniors are responding in-kind.

On Wednesday, a phone conference was held among group members with Eric Klatt, local Red Cross volunteer and Natalie Good, American Red Cross disaster program manager for northern Utah and southwest Wyoming. The discussion centered on how the Red Cross can assist in relief efforts in Uinta County.

Klatt informed the group that the Food Bank of the Rockies from Colorado was bringing truckloads of food to Wyoming and Evanston was on their list of recipients. He also said the Red Cross is working closely with Public Health and other local agencies to determine if and when an EOC (emergency operations center) would be set up.

Rossiter said the Lord’s Storehouse shelves are bare, and they need everything.

“We have been told that the Food Bank of the Rockies from Casper will be bringing two semis with food sometime in early April. I don’t have the dates yet but will need volunteers to help unload the supplies. The Lutheran Church has now given us the entire space to store items since the daycare has been closed.”

Brent Hatch and pastor Marc Trujillo both said they would recruit volunteers to unload goods.

Hatch also said that members of the LDS Church can receive food and supplies from the Bishop’s Storehouse by contacting the bishop of their ward.

Rossiter asked for suggestions on how to get the word out to people who might not know about the Lord’s Storehouse. There was much discussion about the different methods for doing that. 

Klatt said that he is in the process of establishing a Facebook page for information on services available and others suggested the newspaper, radio public service announcements, flyers at the senior center, churches and other organizations for creating public awareness.

Members of the relief group said there is still a need for donated non-perishable items to be dropped off at Uinta Realty offices between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or at the Lord’s Storehouse (Lutheran Church on the corner of Yellow Creek Road and Cheyenne Drive) from 6-10 a.m. on Tuesdays or Thursdays at 6 p.m.