With the ongoing COVID-19 community response, I wrote the following letter a few days ago to our MANY tremendous volunteers to update and thank them for their efforts. I thought this might be a good and timely piece to share with everybody, if you will indulge me:

On behalf of the United Way crew, Sara, Liz, and myself, our Board of Directors, as well as a grateful community, I wanted to take a moment to express our deep gratitude for the volunteering work you have been doing with us during the coronavirus pandemic. Your work, on the front lines, is Saving lives. Over the past 3 weeks we have ramped up distributing food to the point where we have now distributed over 20,000 healthy breakfasts and lunches to area school children – from 10 schools and 16 bus locations. We have begun delivery of these same meals to those who are homebound for medical reasons. We have launched 8 sites where the community can access fresh produce 4 days a week and have already helped over 250 families with this service. And we have launched an online volunteer-driven system for grocery shopping and delivery called SHOP UNITED. All of this has been accomplished through collaborations with organizations like the Nashua Transit System, Nashua School District, Nashua Food Council, Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter, Boys and Girls Club, and the YMCA… with you – United Way volunteers – at the heart of it all. You might not think it’s necessary for our community to say thank you to you, but that’s because you are not normal people. Not everyday volunteers. You are United Way volunteers. And that makes you both courageous and caring. So, we do say “thank you.”

Let us all take a moment to step back, reflect, and be proud. For most of us, there precious few moments in life when we can look in the mirror and honestly say that we have made an indelible mark on the world. For me, this list is very short, and today is one of those moments. This is OUR TIME to save lives, protect our community, and come together for a healthy and bright future.

Let there be no mistake: What you are doing as a United Way volunteer is saving lives because you are allowing our community to effectively do “social distancing.” Without your help, people wouldn’t be able to get access to food in a safe way and would end up putting themselves and those around them at risk, getting sick, getting others sick, and ultimately facing possibly dire circumstances. Let that sink in for a moment. … WE are literally saving lives! I have never been able to say something like that, and it is quite profound.

In the weeks ahead, we will have much to do. Much more. More kids to feed. More homebound families to shop for. More pantries to deliver food to their clients. More community members to get fresh produce to. I hope you can continue to work with us but want you to know that it is also important for you to do whatever is necessary to keep yourself, your loved ones, and your community safe. Please do that, and even if it means stepping away from volunteering, know that we are deeply grateful to you.

One final request as we ponder what next week might bring. We were recently blessed to receive a grant from AmeriHealth Caritas NH in the amount of $25K for our “Covid-19 Community Emergency Relief Fund.” We’ve been paying out grants – so far to 32 different local nonprofits – to help them with their extraordinary expenses during this time. We’ve also used the fund to purchase items for our local nonprofits, including gallons of hand sanitizer, thousands of rolls of toilet paper, infrared thermometers, and much more. And finally, we have made numerous purchases of supplies to support your extraordinary volunteer efforts mentioned above. The grant we received provides a dollar-for-dollar match for any donations made to the fund, so we are trying to spread the word about this amazing opportunity, as we burn through cash fighting this crisis. If you can help us to spread the word via email and social media, telling the story of what we are doing, and asking folks to step up with a small donation, this can help make a very big difference, especially in the difficult weeks ahead. People can donate online at www.tinyurl.com/uwgncovid19 or by sending a check to United Way at 20 Broad Street, Nashua, NH 03064. Be sure to put COVID-19 in the memo line. It would be great if you could help us in this way!

I hope each of you has a good weekend, filled with family, friends, love and laughter. I’m going to take my dogs for a walk in the woods, holding my wife’s hand, being thankful for my blessings, rain, or shine!

With warmest regards and deepest gratitude … and always with the belief that GREAT THINGS HAPPEN WHEN WE LIVE UNITED.

Mike Apfelberg is Ppesident of the United Way of Greater Nashua.