Meeting Today’s Challenges with a Pandemic of Love

When we give cheerfully
and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.
Maya Angelou

This week, as I was checking our “Nextdoor” feed online, I saw a post titled, “A Pandemic of Love Asheville.” Suzi Israel, who runs our local Pandemic with Love chapter, had posted the story of a young man whose life was changed because of local volunteers.

I shared information about the international Pandemic of Love organization in this blog in 2020, so this was a good opportunity to check in with them again to learn about their work in the world two years later.

Pandemic of Love is a grassroots, volunteer-led mutual aid community, started in March of 2020. “Mutual aid is a voluntary reciprocal exchange of resources and services based on the principle that members of a community should take responsibility for caring for one another.”

In response to a growing need among her social media friends who were facing challenges due to COVID 19, Shelly Tygielski created a website to connect people in need with those who could help.

Pandemic of Love is powered by human connection. Since March 2020, their volunteers have connected over 1.2 million people to each other – “perfect strangers who reminded each other of our common humanity and that we need each other in order to survive and thrive.”

Each week, they get hundreds of new stories of connection – “stories of hope and triumph, stories that uplift and inspire.”

While Pandemic of Love was initially formed to provide financial help to people in need due to pandemic-related income loss, the organization has been expanding through local micro-community chapters to meet the different needs that are arising at this time.

“Our team of volunteers are partnering with brands and organizations, assisting communities-in-need, and joining forces with global movements with the intention of creating sustainable, formalized mutual aid communities all across the world, long after the pandemic of over.”

It is easy to become involved if you are inspired to do so. Once you find a chapter in your area, you can click on links to offer or to receive help. Then, spread the word locally.

So, let’s return to Asheville.

Earlier this week, Suzi Israel wrote:

"In the summer of 2020, Chance registered for assistance. I called him immediately. He was 19 and homeless. His story broke my heart, a young man abandoned by those who should have loved him, and he had nowhere to go. I immediately called Shelly Tygielski, our founder, and we went to work to get him the help he needed.

Something about Chance just grabbed our hearts. We became his 'Pandemic Moms.' Chance has grown with love and encouragement and finding a family of his own in the last 2 years. I check in with him and he checks in with me when he needs to. Last weekend he finally got to meet his 2nd Pandemic mom face to face. It was wonderful to see him and get a big hug.

I am passionate about the work (that is not work to me) I do with Pandemic of Love because of people like Chance

❤"

If you want to know more about Pandemic of Love, Asheville, please contact Suzi at her FaceBook page.

This is how we navigate these challenging times.

This is a time when we all have opportunities to reach out and help one another. Pandemic of Love is one of many. We have found joy in being of service to people in need of help, and also in receiving help when we needed it. We think of this as the Circle of Kindness.

Our hope for you is that you find an outlet for your kindness, and that you experience the gifts that come from being in that circle.

We wish you joy on your journey.

     Photo from Suzi Israel

     Click here to read more about Pandemic of Love Asheville and how to get involved

What are your thoughts?   Please leave a comment below.

Help us spread the message of kindness. If you know others who might appreciate these ideas, please share below.

We’re grateful that you are on this journey with us.

With love from our hearts to yours,
Pat and Larry