Just a reminder: UR Loved
When students and non-essential employees began quarantining a month and a half ago, about 160 teens who visited the Upper Room Youth Center, found themselves struggling with loneliness from not being able to see their friends. They decided to get involved and help the healthcare providers working on the front lines to treat patients with COVID-19.
Jackie Hernandez, founder of the Upper Room, hosted a virtual meeting and talked to the teens about how they were handling the shutdown.
“I commissioned them to think about what it was they needed and for us to look for purpose in this pandemic,” Hernandez said. “What can we do to bring meaning to our lives besides school work? They were asked to come back the following week with thoughts.”
During a short car ride, the Hernandez family took the opportunity to reflect and suggest ideas.
Husband and Upper Room co-founder, Rey Hernandez, is a retired police officer who was among the first responders who helped locate victims of 9/11. The three Hernandez teens and Upper Room participants recalled how their father received bags of candy and cards from elementary school-aged kids as a way to say thank you. It was then suggested the teens could do something similar.
The idea was presented to the other Upper Room teens who were immediately overcome with excitement. It was something they could do from home and they could tailor their own notes to the first responders. Thus, Operation UR Loved was born. Over the past three weeks, the Upper Room has teamed up with BJ’s from Monroe and Wappingers Falls, Hannaford in New Windsor, Target in Monroe, Starbucks in New Windsor, and private donor Christopher O’Connor to obtain donations for the care packages. Donations consisted of Gatorade, water, protein bars, instant coffee, tea, creamers, candy, chocolate, lip balm, cookies, chips, and boxes of coffee.
To ensure the virus wouldn’t be spread to the recipients, the Upper Room was used as the initial base of operations. There the items were pre-sorted, using latex gloves, and then distributed to the 30 teens who volunteered to create the care packages. Besides the donated items, each package also contained an inspirational quote and personal note of thanks. The volunteers designed boxes which held 10 bags each.
Once the bags were complete, the Hernandez family retrieved them to distribute locally.
To date, over 500 care packages have been delivered to Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, Crystal Run in Newburgh, New Windsor EMS, New Windsor Police Department, Cornwall Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Cornwall Police Department, Woodbury EMS, Woodbury Police Department, New Windsor Orthopedic Surgeons, and Helen Hays.
“I’m really proud of the teenagers,” Hernandez said. “I’m proud of the work and the love they put into the packages. Many of the packages have very touching messages to the first responders.”
When the boxes were dropped off, some of the teens had the opportunity to speak to the first responders. The interaction helped provide them with validation, that their actions can make a difference.
