By Greg Ellison

(April 16, 2020) Despite collecting a host of warm memories over her 50 years of owning property in Ocean Pines, Pat Veitenthal experienced a high mark last week.

“I’ve seen many acts of kindness in the Pines … but this has to be one of the pinnacles,” she said.

Veitenthal, a retired nurse who treated patients for 45 years, offered that assessment after having groceries delivered to her home last week through a new Ocean Pines Facebook group, ‘Local Help for You Worcester County.’

“I can’t go out and do what I want to do,” she said. “If I had my way, I would be helping.”

Because of health issues, Veitenthal has exercised caution based on accounts from front-line responders to the covid-19 pandemic.

“I’m in touch constantly with colleagues that are still practicing in the field,” she said. “When my friends are telling me, ‘don’t go out, it’s very bad,’ I’m not going out because they’re up to their elbows in it.”

In mid-March, nearly two-dozen area volunteers led by

Photo courtesy: Colby Phillips
Colby Phillips made several doorstep grocery deliveries last week to elderly Ocean Pines residents self-isolating to avoid contracting the covid-19 virus, along with a bonus Lily just in time for Easter.

formed the local help group on Facebook. Although Phillips is the operations director for the Ocean Pines Association, the association is not connected to the site or its network of volunteers.

“Right now it has a little over 400 members,” Phillips said.

Originally an email-based outreach effort to help elderly self-isolating community members acquire food or medicines, the undertaking quickly morphed into a private Facebook page.

“It’s a controlled open group,” she said. “People are reaching out in terms of different ways to help besides delivering items.”

Veitenthal, who lives on a fixed income, breathed a sigh of relief after the volunteer group helped her replenish the cupboards.

“I’m on Social Security now and I only get one check a month,” she said. “When the paycheck comes, that’s when you get your food.”

Concerned about potential covid-19 exposure, Veitenthal recognized that she couldn’t help, and decided to seek assistance.

“I thought to myself, if I had the opportunity … I would be doing it,” she said. “I might as well reach out [because] if I was willing to do it, and have people reach out to me, then I shouldn’t hesitate.”

Veitenthal said after emailing for assistance she was contacted in short order by Phillips.

“I was afraid I was going to be asking them to get too much,” she said. “I’m thinking they’re going to get you essentials, but she said, ‘absolutely not, if you need your monthly shopping done, I will do your monthly shopping.’”

Phillips said to this point the list of volunteers has outpaced the need for assistance.

“Lots of people have reached out to help [and] I’ve gotten food donations,” she said. “So far, we have helped seven people.”

Phillips said the scales could easily reverse depending on how long covid-19 health concerns persist.

“I think it’s going to be a matter of how long this goes on,” she said. “If it lasts long enough, all the volunteers will be needed.”

Community members requiring assistance can email their name, phone number and address to localhelp4youwc@gmail.com.

Because of safety precautions observed to minimize spreading the virus, volunteers will not enter homes to deliver items.