By Raychel Stewart
For The Signal
Seniors were able to pick up free emergency kits last week that contained information and supplies that could help during a power outage.
This effort, at Perkin’ Up Coffee House in Acton and Bullwrinkle’s Gift Boutique in Agua Dulce, came as an effort to assist seniors who have been or will be affected by Southern California Edison power outages.
“People were in an uproar about the power outages, and being angry about it isn’t going to do anything, so we wanted to put together something that will actually help seniors that are stuck in these rural areas,” said Mary Avery, HomeBased real estate agent.
A total of 100 kits were gathered and all were given out. The kits included a Spanish-English pamphlet, which was comprised of medical checklists, local emergency locations and instructions on how to care for medical equipment.
Headlamps, which Avery explained is better for seniors because heavy flashlights can cause an imbalance in seniors, hand wipes and sanitizer, hand/foot warmers, instant coffee, Ensure and water were also in the kits.
Avery, along with Bonnie Granger, Becca Colfer, Ann Trussell and Vicki Marshall coordinated this effort to help seniors be more prepared if future power outages occur.
Acton Scuba, Ticor Title, Trussell Construction, Sweetwater Coffee, Rex’s RR Appraisals and Maiya Robinson aided by donating items that would go into the kits.
The local Lowes also joined the effort by providing a list to Avery of more items that could be useful during power outages, such as phone battery packs, lanterns and mini generators.
“Seniors are left behind when things like this happen, and being in areas like Acton or Agua Dulce doesn’t make these events any easier,” Avery said.
A “telephone tree” was created while passing out the kits, so Avery and others can do wellness checks on seniors if another power outage was to occur.
When asked if similar efforts were being planned for the future, Avery said the effort has turned to helping seniors bridge the gap between between living in a rural area and receiving services, such as food delivery and medical assistance.
“This generation of people were raised to help themselves, so asking for help isn’t something they do,” said Avery. “We want to do a good thing and help them, even if they’re hesitant to ask for it.”
