Students write personalized notes to include in each care package. Credit: Courtesy of James Gelman
Although COVID-positive students are required to distance themselves from others, boredom continues to play a unifying role in the lives of those who are quarantined.
Gaby Del Risco, a first-year in biomedical engineering, had just moved into her dorm when she learned she had tested positive for COVID-19. Lonely and bored, Del Risco said it was the small things that would arrive at her door that kept her spirits up while she was in quarantine.
“I remember getting my first package of food. And my brain was like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is good, I’m happy.’ And it was just food. It was just regular food. And my brain was like, ‘This is the best day of my life,’” Del Risco said.
It was the joy they felt receiving little gifts at their door that inspired James Gelman, a first-year in air transportation and president of the alliance, and Del Risco to start the Student COVID Alliance at Ohio State.
Since bringing the organization to life in August 2020, the club has delivered an estimated 600 “care packages” filled with snacks and trinkets to students in quarantine and isolation housing. They also started a GroupMe for the students to join to help relieve some of the loneliness of quarantine.
“I think no matter how well you’re getting treated by the university or how much cool stuff you’ve brought with you to your dorm, it’s tough to be on your own for 10 days,” Gelman said. “I think anybody’s gonna go a little crazy. I know, I played with a water bottle for hours.”
Making and delivering all the care packages hasn’t been easy, Gelman and Del Risco said. After estimating how many students would be in quarantine and isolation each week, they order items such as candy, stickers and playing cards in bulk and later meet to package the boxes, finishing each with a hand-written note. The packages are then distributed to students over the weekend.
“When the university once again canceled all in-person meetings for student organizations, I had to make a couple 100 packages on my own in my dorm room,” Gelman said. “That took about two straight days over a weekend just working on stuff. And that was painful. But it was worth it.”
Tracy Stuck, community partnership and innovation program director for the Office of Student Life and adviser for the club, said the students in the organization have really enjoyed planning and creating the packages despite the challenges of ordering and distributing about 150 care packages a week during a pandemic.
“They pick out themselves what they’re ordering the students,” Stuck said. “It’s been fun. They did a really cool Halloween theme, and for every home Buckeye football game they themed them.”
Dave Isaacs, spokesperson for the Office of Student Life, said he has enjoyed working with the organization this semester.
“I think that the thing that really impresses me about all this is it shows the resilience of our students who want to help their fellow students who look on this not as a problem or a burden, but as a challenge to make things better,” Isaacs said.
Gelman said the club hopes to branch out and interact with other organizations in the future and continue to make personalized care packages.
