Partnering in a Pandemic: Fostering a Sense of Community When You Cannot Physically Be Together

LeaAnn Kutz

The Junior League of Washington (JLW) works to enrich the lives of women and children in the greater Washington metropolitan area, serving as resources throughout the community to effect positive change and inspire hope. What do you do if you cannot physically be out in the community engaging with those very people you seek to help? How can you inspire hope when so much of what is going on in the world feels overwhelming and hopeless?

Where there is a will, there is a way, and that is exactly what members of the N Street Village committee have been able to do over the last year.

N Street Village is a center that offers support services for homeless and low-income women in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Serving nearly 2,000 women each year, many of the N Street Village participants face challenges including homelessness, poverty, and mental illness, but with the organization’s support, these women receive resources for healing and recovery. Support programs include services related to housing and community, healthy meals, basic needs (laundry, clothing, showers, legal and crisis management services), health and wellness (physical and mental fitness and disease prevention), and employment and income (job seeking, job training, and peer mentorship).

JLW committee members plan two weekend meals each month, September through May, as well as post-meal games or crafts (often themed) that allow the women time to socialize with the volunteers and others receiving support. JLW volunteers strive to bring a dynamic and engaging presence by encouraging community, celebrating milestones, and supporting N Street Village’s mission of empowerment. Additionally, committee members donate supplies, clothing, toiletries, and hygiene products throughout the year.

Committee Chair Danielle Sikes Nelson has been a member of the committee for three years, and has loved being able to give out flowers after each meal to celebrate everything from birthdays to sobriety anniversaries. “My favorite thing about volunteering is seeing the same ladies again and again. Being a friendly, familiar face to those who need it is such a great feeling,” says Sikes Nelson.

Over this last year, the traditional bi-monthly meals and social gatherings were not possible as N Street Village shifted to only being able to accept catered meals from commercial kitchens. Like many other committees within JLW, the N Street Village committee had to pivot and find ways to continue to provide support remotely while keeping member’s health, safety, and financial consideration at the forefront.

One big way committee members were able to provide support was for N Street Village’s 2020 SHERO Walk. The virtual event, held on October 17, 2020, was a big success and the committee was able to raise over $1,700 for N Street Village. The amount raised helped to provide an incredible 1300 meals.

Supporting from afar has still been rewarding, but many committee members are longing to be able to get back to in person engagement, especially because N Street Village has created such a strong community for the women it serves. “There is nothing more rewarding than getting to know these women experiencing homelessness and low-income status. Preparing and serving meals for them is a highlight of my time in DC,” says committee member Shelby Lopez, who has volunteered with N Street Village for the last three years. “As the N Street women pass through the buffet line to receive their meals, they are so enthusiastic, appreciative, funny, and kind. I can’t wait until we can be back in-person spending time with them.”

I think we can all agree that partnering in a pandemic is unlike anything we ever planned for, yet the lessons we take away from this experience are almost immeasurable. Fostering a sense of community when you cannot physically be together is possible when caring, creative, and committed women come together and strive towards our higher purpose of inspiring hope. We are optimistic we will all be able to come together again in-person in the not too distant future, and when we do, we are certain that the impacts we can make in the community toward effecting positive change will be even greater than before.