For weeks, communities have gathered to support students who are dealing with the loss of school meals, entertainment opportunities and time in the classroom. Now, a group of students are paying it forward by helping community members get the groceries they need without having to leave home.

Leave It To Us is a fee-free delivery service started by Chicago student Michael Arundel after he realized some of his most vulnerable family members and their neighbors were risking exposure to the novel coronavirus just to get basic necessities. He started offering to shop for them, and now, high-schoolers and university students across the nation have started creating local chapters of volunteers hoping to do the same.

“It allows students to give back to our communities by helping seniors and immunocompromised get the necessities and things they want at this time without having to risk their own health,” said Olivia Carroll, a University of Alabama student who returned home to North Alabama after campuses were closed to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Carroll said she got involved with Leave It To Us through a close friend, Madison Quick, an Ole Miss student. Quick and Carroll graduated Bob Jones High School together, and when Quick decided she wanted to give back to the Madison and Limestone area, Carroll immediately jumped on board.

“She felt really connected to these areas in North Alabama and wanted to do something to give back,” Carroll said. “… I said if you decide to do that, I want in. I was really excited to be able to do something to give back as well.”

The chapter has since grown to include more than 20 volunteers, each of whom lives in Limestone or Madison County. When a client has a grocery or pharmacy need, they can contact Quick or Carroll to be put in touch with a volunteer who can go to the store, purchase or pick up the items on their list and deliver them to the client’s home.

To promote a safe experience for all involved, Carroll explained volunteers must undergo a background check and have control over which delivery requests they’ll accept. They must wear gloves throughout the delivery process and are encouraged to wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth.

Volunteers are also encouraged to use self-checkout and minimize contact by using one hand to retrieve items from a store shelf while the other hand remains on the cart. Clients, meanwhile, must provide accurate contact information and can pay for their items once they are delivered.

“It really is just people coming together at this time who want to take care of each other,” Carroll said. “The people who ask for these services are very appreciative.”

She said it’s touching to hear why clients are in need of the service, as many aren’t elderly or immunocompromised but are caring for someone who is.

“We’ve heard a lot of stories of people quarantining so they can take care of other people or avoid spreading it to others,” she said. “… They are making a sacrifice for someone they continue to love and care about.”

Clients can contact Quick at mcquick@go.olemiss.edu or 731-819-4130, or contact Carroll at okcarroll@crimson.ua.edu or 256-701-2227 to request a delivery. Visit covidseniorshoppers.com to learn more about Leave It To Us.