Mountain Neighbors Helping Neighbors

From the September 2022 issue of Mountain Network News

We are still here! The challenges of the COVID pandemic are still with us, and people still need occasional, non-professional help to stay healthy and safe.

We require masks for those in vehicles and other indoor spaces. Our care receivers are often in precarious health and our volunteers are often older with health risks themselves. We also now require COVID-19 vaccination and booster shots for both care receivers and volunteers.

For those receiving on-going support, such as grocery and pharmacy deliveries, or multiple medical office visits, we are assigning up to three volunteers to support one person/household for multiple occasions. This helps with ongoing needs, and promotes developing human interactions.

MNHN accepts requests for non-professional assistance, such as grocery or pharmacy pick-up and delivery, rides to non-emergency medical care, limited meal preparation and meal clean-up, and limited yard care such as sweeping sidewalks, and light clearing of defensible space. We do not do professional medical, home, or yard care. We provide our services on a voluntary basis. Our volunteers may or may not be available to fulfill your requests, but we will do our best to help.

We serve mostly the communities included in the 95033 Postal Zip Code: Aldercroft Heights, Redwood Estates, and the Summit Road area.

We always need new volunteers and new people who could use some help. Visit: http://mnhn95033.org, email mnhn95033@gmail.com, phone 408-353-4565, or mail us at MNHN, P.O. Box 653, Redwood Estates, CA 95044.

Mountain Neighbors Helping Neighbors is a group of volunteers who provide free help to residents of the Santa Cruz mountains, especially our seniors. We coordinate occasional or short-term services such as stacking wood, visiting, giving rides into town, delivering meals, light temporary house-keeping, form-filling, trash cleanup, repairs, clearing storm drains, light clearing of defensible space, and assistance in using the internet.

MNHN is offering Well-Being Calls. If you or someone you know would like someone to call them daily (or on certain days) to check that everything is ok, contact MNHN.

All assistance is subject to the availability of volunteers with the appropriate skills.

This is a great opportunity for local students to fulfill their community service requirements.

We also can help you find a paid helper. For example, we have a list of in-home health providers who work in the 95033 zip code area.

Contact MNHN95033@gmail.com or call 408 353 4565 to give or receive help from a neighbor
-- that's what neighbors are for! In the spirit of barn-raising, you can be both a giver and receiver of help.

MNHN Articles in the Mountain Network News

Here is a ten-minute video, produced by Skyland Church, about our work:

MNHN Recent Activities

• We recently helped recruit volunteers for the Little Free Food Pantry.
• We continue to provide rides into town, most often for medical appointments.
• We have done various yard work tasks, including firewood moving and stacking, raking, and weeding.
• We have provided several referrals for people needing professional services which we are not equipped to provide. We have a list of paid in-home health providers who work in 95033.
• We have almost ten volunteers from the South Skyline area (mostly 95033) and have opened the door to requests for help from that area.
• We have had some needs for organic foods which have been provided through the Community Food Pantry at Skyland Church.

A note from longtime Redwood Estates resident Alice Hoagland

Mark often spoke fondly of Mrs. Hughes, so I was deeply touched to learn, in the aftermath of 9/11, that she had single-handedly constructed the sweet memorial in our midst. A few days ago Mountain Neighbors Helping Neighbors refurbished the memorial, removing overgrowth and restoring the patriotic Red, White and Blue dedicatory sign lettering to its original easy-to-read yellow.

Heartfelt thanks to Pam Walatka of Redwood Estates and her generous, civic-minded friends of Mountain Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

Alice Hoagland and her son Mark Bingham. Photo courtesy of letsrollformums.com

Our Wonderful Community Partners

MNHN is a member of The National Volunteer Caregiving Network (NVCN).