Unprecedented times.
Flatten the curve.
When encouraged to shut down and stay home to quell the spread of COVID-19, many in the Greater Cumberland County region didn’t abandon their drive to help others or achieve new goals. I ve selected about two dozen stories I wrote during 2020 that highlight how small acts of kindness made a big difference.
The collection includes a businessman who settled outstanding school lunch debts, a deaf dog encouraging acceptance, and the Class of 2020 who joyfully embraced their non-traditional graduation celebrations.
May their compassion, resilience, and perseverance serve as inspiration to us all in the new year.
For most of us dealing with a COVID winter, being forced to stay inside by cold temperatures, winter storms and snow is just one more challenge in year that has been, to put it charitably, incredibly challenging.
But for people huddled under highway overpasses in Camden, in tented encampments in Pemberton Township s woods, or wandering the streets of Cumberland County s downtowns, finding a way to escape the elements can be a matter of life or death.
Making sure homeless people have a warm, safe place to go when temperatures plunge can be difficult under normal circumstances, but as COVID-19 cases spike all over South Jersey and the country, homeless advocates and county and municipal officials say it s harder than ever to protect some of our most vulnerable people.