A Duke science student has a way to treat COVID-19 fear: Let the young help the old

As a graduate student studying microbiology at Duke University, Julia R. Palmucci knows how a coronavirus like the one that causes COVID-19 behaves. She also has an impressive idea about how humans should behave in response.

Palmucci, 24, and several of her friends are seeking to help elderly people who have the most to fear from the coronavirus. She’s offering to shop and run errands for them in Durham and she’s asking like-minded young people from anywhere in North Carolina county to launch the same effort in their counties.

What moved her to act? She saw a request for help on social media and thought to herself, “I can do that.”

Palmucci, who is from Trenton, N.J., told me in an email.: “I recently read a Twitter thread about an over-80 couple asking a young woman to grocery shop for them because they were afraid of entering the crowded public space. The couple mentioned that they had sat in their car for nearly an hour waiting to ask someone for help.

“While this was not in the Triangle area, I began to think if there was a way the young members of the Durham community may be able to help senior citizens during this relatively unprecedented time in public health. I would like to offer my contact information to any individual in a high-risk group who may need errands run during this time. I have some friends who also expressed similar interest, and we would be more than willing to volunteer to go grocery shopping or pick up other necessities for those who are concerned about leaving their homes.”

Palmucci is taking a course in public health this semester and is familiar with the terms the public is now learning, such as “flattening the curve.” As a researcher, she knows panic is not a productive response, but a healthy respect for the power of the virus is.

“If I were to tell my grandmother what to do, I would tell her to stay inside and not go grocery shopping herself,” she said. While serving older people, she said the effort would still be at a distance. Food and other items would be left at the door.

Palmucci’s generous idea ran up against a practical problem: How do you find elderly people hunkered down at home? Because she lives in an apartment complex of mostly young residents, she said, “I just couldn’t go door to door.” Her go-to method for communicating — social media — isn’t much help with reaching senior citizens either.

So she asked The News & Observer to publish her offer in an actual ink-on-paper newspaper. “I thought print was the best way to reach them,” she said.

Let’s hope so. Here’s this microbiology student’s treatment for the emotional side-effects of the outbreak:

“My name is Julia, and I am a Duke University graduate student. I understand that in these difficult times, individuals may be frightened to go to the grocery store or run other errands. Myself and several friends want to help combat some of that fear and anxiety by answering the question, ‘Where can I safely get food?’ If you are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from Covid-19, we would like to do your grocery shopping for you. If you need someone to get your groceries or run essential errands, please reach out at either (919)-335-8145, or at groceries4durham@gmail.com.

“If you are interested in joining us, especially if you are outside Durham County, please email me at groceries4durham@gmail.com with your name, location, and availability.”

Are you or others helping people or doing something good during the COVID-19 outbreak? Send your story at 200 words or less to: Peter St. Onge at pstonge@charlotteobserver.com

This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 3:10 PM.