A desire to help neighbors during weather-related power outages inspired Brittany Thompson, a Critz-area resident, to create ‘The Helping Hive of Patrick County VA’ Facebook page. The initiative aims to provide meals to local residents struggling during outages.
When the entire county lost power early last week, Thompson said her neighborhood was among the last to have service restored.
“I know for us, we really weren’t prepared for this because we really didn’t think it was going to hit us,” she said. “Then by the time we realized that it was, you know, we’re not going to rush out and buy a generator and do this, that, and the third.”
Instead, Thompson said she packed everything down in her deep freezer and covered it with ice to prevent thawing. She and her family hunkered down and did what they could. As her family weathered the outage, she began to think about her neighbors, many of whom are elderly.
“I just kind of got to thinking a lot of my neighbors and stuff – they weren’t prepared for this either. I live in a neighborhood that has a lot of elderly people. So, I made a batch of soup, and I went and fed them.
“It was just one of those things where I was like, ‘well even if they have power back, people’s groceries could have got ruined.’ Even if they didn’t, some people just want a hot meal. The power’s been out, they don’t feel like cooking, they’ve got to clean out their fridge, do whatever,” she said.
Thomspon said she then decided to make pots of taco soup and offered some to county residents on Facebook. Within an hour, Thompson said she had made three stockpots of soup. She estimates she gave soup to about a dozen households in her neighborhood, many of which had multiple residents.
“It’s just one of those things—we don’t have a lot ourselves, but it doesn’t cost much to be kind. And I don’t think that’s something people do a lot nowadays,” she said.
Before the second round of snow last week, Thompson received numerous messages offering donations of groceries, money, and time to help her make and deliver soup and other food to those in need.
“I’m not comfortable taking any money, so I’m not taking any monetary donations. I’m asking if people want to donate, that they buy items themselves and we arrange pick-up, drop-off, meet up. However they want to do it,” Thompson said.
Within 24 hours, volunteers from across Patrick County, including Ararat, Stuart, Patrick Springs, and Critz, offered to cook and deliver meals. Some with four-wheel-drive vehicles volunteered to brave difficult conditions to deliver food.
Although the power remained on during the second round of snow last week, volunteers still distributed hot meals to those in need. Thompson herself delivered two six-quart pots of soup to four households with multiple residents.
“The ladies that volunteered to cook froze the soups they made so we will be ready to go for any unexpected outages, and I am going to make and free a few myself this weekend,” she said.
To better coordinate efforts, Thompson created ‘The Helping Hive of Patrick County VA’ Facebook page.
“I’m going to make sure that how I’ve got it set up runs smoothly,” she said. “I want to keep people updated in the community as to locations where they can pick up, meet, or request delivery. I want everybody to be able to follow one page for updates.”
Thompson envisions the group providing assistance year-round, not just in the winter.
“Our power goes out randomly in Patrick County—sometimes for hours, sometimes for days. It’s just one of those things where I’m going to try to get this to be where it can be anytime the power’s out. Anybody that needs help, reach out,” she said.
Looking ahead, Thompson is considering expanding the initiative to offer meals about once a month to those in need.
“It’s not much, but with the way groceries and everything cost, it’s kind of hard to do much. But it doesn’t cost much to be kind, and it’s just really great to see how the community has rallied together,” she said.
For more information, go to Facebook.com/TheHelpingHiveofPatrickCountyVA.
