Serving those serving others in Lexington

Serving those serving others

Early in the coronavirus pandemic, Shiloh Baptist Church and Consolidated Baptist Church in Lexington opened their doors to the community as COVID-19 testing sites. As vaccines became available, both churches quickly adapted to serve as pop-up vaccination sites.

AARP volunteers in Lexington, led by Executive Council member Dr. Merrylyn Moran Smith, teamed up to show their support by delivering healthy lunches and thanking the vaccination sites workers from the University of Kentucky. Frontline workers are on duty for long shifts, vaccinating thousands in underserved populations, and the free lunches were one way AARP Lexington volunteers showed their gratitude.

In his interview with local media, Lexington volunteer Reverend Jim Thurman explained why supporting these frontline workers was so urgent. “We were so appreciative of what those guys are doing day-in and day-out, week after week, to aid the African-American community in particular, coming into the community and availing themselves to the people,” Thurman said. “It was hard for a lot of our seniors to get across town. So, by them coming into the community, it was a win-win situation. We just wanted to show appreciation, and AARP Kentucky so graciously provided us with the opportunity to do so by feeding the workers. Offering the clinics is a tremendous thing to do for our community.”

More vaccine resources and updates are available, aarp.org/kyvaccine.