Last week the El Dorado Community Foundation received a voicemail from an elderly South Lake Tahoe resident who was very upset. Through tears she explained on the voicemail that she and her 80 year old husband had been sheltering in place for three weeks now and were out of food. She had decided to go shopping only to find out that her old truck would not start. She was panic stricken and didn’t know what to do when a friend told her to call the El Dorado Community Foundation and that we might be able to help.
When we heard this voice message we knew that we had to act. One of our incredible team members volunteered not only their services but that of their two children, one with a new drivers license and both needing badly something to occupy their time and get them out of the house. Through a series of very detailed text messages a grocery list was formed, and the two teens were off to Grocery Outlet with mom’s credit card to purchase the needed items. About an hour later the two teens made a special delivery to a house out in Meyers where a very grateful woman and her husband not only reimbursed them with a check but offered them a tip as well.
As Easter Sunday rolled around, our incredible South Lake Tahoe team member received a very nice text from the woman thanking them again and letting them know how polite and respectful their kids were.
While something like this is not normally what the El Dorado Community Foundation is called upon to do, these are not normal times we are living in. As a community, El Dorado County has always been exceptional at coming together in times of crisis and this pandemic is no exception. We know there are countless other stories like this one starring other members of this wonderful community. We lead by following their example.
