Geraldine is an 86-year-old retired music instructor with a hearing disability who relies heavily on lip reading. Face masks and social distancing have left her feeling especially isolated throughout the pandemic. Geraldine jokes that she knows how to use masking tape for minor household repairs, but she realized tape was no match for her home’s exterior wood rot, aging siding, and the colonies of carpenter bees that settled in.

Her home isn’t far from a men’s group who started a virtual fellowship in summer of 2020 because they, too, felt a sense of isolation.

When the men’s group, which began meeting in person this year, learned of a neighbor in need, they jumped into action.

With funding from individual donors and foundations, we were able to mobilize our skilled field staff and the men’s group of volunteers to install new siding and to repair other areas of Geraldine’s home.

“I never thought I’d find myself in this situation,” she says. “This help from my neighbors—it’s a relief to know I’m not alone.”