It seems that the novel coronavirus has taken over the world. It has consumed our thoughts, conversations, televisions, and social media feeds. It has cancelled our events. Ruined our vacation plans. Separated us from our family, friends, work and normal daily routines. These are challenging times and it’s in times like these, that it's more important than ever to lean on each other for support.
At NebraskaLand Bank, one of our culture statements is “Comm(unity) Minded”. This part of our culture is so ingrained in every one of us, that we can’t help but approach everything with a community minded point of view, even a pandemic. Our employees have been asking how they can help support our community so we thought we would share some ideas.
Here are some ways that you can do your part to lessen the impact of this pandemic and lend a helping hand.
- Stay at home when possible. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. Minimize your contact with other people and stay home, especially if you are sick.
- Donate. Many local non-profits have already had to cancel key fundraising events for their organizations. If you are able to, consider donating money or goods to help these organizations continue providing important services in your community.
North Platte Backpack Program - NPPSD is providing free pre-packed food packs to NPPSD children 18 years old and younger on Thursdays and Fridays. Donations can be dropped at McKinley Education Center during the hours of 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday through Friday.
- Help with childcare. With school and daycare closures, many working parents are seeking help with childcare. If you are not able to work during the pandemic, consider helping a friend or neighbor or if you have a teenager at home, encourage them to offer babysitting services.
- Support local businesses. Many small businesses are working overtime to try and find ways to serve their communities while practicing social distancing, increasing cleaning policies, and keeping their customers safe. Support them by purchasing gift certificates you can use in the future, frequent their drive-thru or order takeout.
- Call a friend or loved one. Reach out to friends, neighbors, and family to see if you can help them with grocery shopping or simply offer them a listening ear. Fear, anxiety, stress and feelings of loneliness are common and normal. Your support can make a huge difference.
If you know of specific local outreach or relief efforts, please send them to marketing@nlnb.com so we can share them with our team and the community.
Imagine what we can accomplish if we all work together to help keep our community strong!