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Health

Local organization pairs volunteers with residents unable to leave home

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THE WOODLANDS, TX – Find A Helper, a volunteer-based grocery delivery service offered in The Woodlands area, matches volunteers with individuals at an increased risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms who are unable to leave their homes. This includes seniors or anyone with underlying conditions such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc.

Sofia Milosavljevic find a helper
Sofia Milosavljevic

Find A Helper was started by Sofia Milosavljevic, who grew up in The Woodlands. Milosavljevic graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2019 with a degree in Public Health and had planned to stay in Baltimore to study for the Medical College Admissions Test. Due to COVID-19, she was forced to return to The Woodlands.

Milosavljevic quickly became frustrated by her inability to help during this crisis. She knew her background in Public Health gave her knowledge that could be used to help others, so, inspired by Invisible Hands in New York City, she started the volunteer-based grocery delivery service in The Woodlands.

 

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“I knew that the most important way to help was to enable those that are at-risk to stay at home,” said Milosavljevic. “I also knew that people in The Woodlands are kind and big-hearted, but that some of them didn’t know how to help. I made this organization to simply help connect those willing to help with those who needed help.”

Milosavljevic has been encouraged by the generosity of the community. “It has been amazing to see that people in The Woodlands are so eager to help strangers in this time of crisis. The kindness of this community has been inspiring and makes me proud to be from The Woodlands.”

 

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When a potential volunteer reaches out to Find A Helper, Milosavljevic first obtains a social media handle for identity confirmation. She calls the volunteer to ensure they understand the process and are willing to follow the organization’s safety procedures before they begin any deliveries.

She then matches volunteers with clients on a first come, first served basis.

The client pays for the groceries by either giving the volunteer money in advance, or by reimbursing the volunteer after. The volunteer is responsible for his or her own gas, however the service area is fairly small making this a minimal expense.

Although Find A Helper is still recruiting both volunteers and clients, Milosavljevic is looking to take on more clients to help as many people as possible.

For more information, please visit www.findahelper.org.

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