The coronavirus news can be depressing stuff, but a spate of stories is emerging as a counterpoint—strangers helping strangers, particularly the most vulnerable. In fact, the term "caremongering" is catching on to describe what's going on. Some examples:
- Scared seniors: In Bend, Ore., 25-year-old Rebecca Mehra tweeted that she was walking into a Safeway supermarket when an elderly couple in their car, too scared to go inside, asked her for help with their shopping. Mehra provided it, and her tweet has been shared more than 100,000 times. "I think that this was just kind of a small light in a dark time, like a nice story of kindness that inspired a lot of people. I'm grateful for that," she noted, per USA Today. See her interview on CNN.
- 'Angels': A pre-med student at the University of Nevada-Reno, organized volunteers from her medical fraternity to do shopping for older local residents more vulnerable to COVID-19, reports CNN. After local media reported on Jayde Powell's "shopping angels" idea, the movement took off. She's now trying to coordinate volunteer shoppers across the country through Facebook. She also launched a GoFundMe page for the needy.