Nether Providence Coronavirus Emergency Response – 03/23/2020 Update

Township Update 3 and Police Message

Dear Neighbors:

Please review the following important information from Nether Providence Township. And, as you are on your computer or phone now, take 10 minutes to complete two actions: (1) submitting your household’s census form, and (2) registering to vote by mail. You’ll find updates on Nether Providence’s emergency declaration and response to the coronavirus in the second half of this notice.  Finally, you’ll find an update from the Nether Providence Police Department (seen in the attachment above).

2020 Census — Complete This Now!

The 2020 Census is here. Counting every one of our residents (including non-citizens) is critically important. Making sure that we all are counted effects everything from how many congressional representatives Pennsylvania will have to federal funding for our police, fire, and health clinics. Nether Providence residents, we need you to stand up and be counted! You should have received a letter from the US Census Bureau. Please fill out the form and return it! If you haven’t received your notice or you simply prefer a simpler way to respond, you can do it here, on the Census website. It takes less than 10 minutes of your time.

Mail-in Ballots for Next Month’s Primary – Complete This Now!

PA’s presidential primary is fast approaching (April 28). For the first time in PA, every registered voter can vote by mail without the restrictions required for absentee ballots. Don’t let concerns over Coronavirus or your commitment to social distancing rob you of your vote. We encourage everyone to register for a mail-in ballot. Applications must be received by Delaware County’s election office by 5pm on April 21st. But don’t wait. Fill out your application to receive a mail-in ballot now! Here’s the link.

Nether Providence Municipal Tax Extension

For most homeowners, your mortgage lender pays your municipal tax out of your mortgage escrow account. For those residents who pay the tax themselves, please note that Nether Providence extended the payment deadline for the 2% early payment discount from March 31st to April 30th. We hope that this assists property owners who may be struggling in our current situation.

Nether Providence’s Coronavirus Emergency Declaration 

The Township expects that its declaration of disaster emergency related to the Novel Coronavirus and the disease Covid-19 will remain in effect for the foreseeable future. Our Coronavirus Emergency Committee, led by First Ward Commissioner and emergency room physician, Max Cooper, is in constant communication and working daily to ensure that our administration, police, public works, and fire companies are operating as close to normal as possible to serve you and keep you safe. Please feel free to call or email Township administration with any questions or concerns about our response to the pandemic.

Feeding Our Kids & Neighbors

Nether Providence is working with Delaware County, the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, neighborhood organizations, and non-profits to help every resident running low on money to pay for food or who, because of age or health, cannot safely go to the store. Please read the following information on food resources and learn how you can help. Most important, if you are struggling with food insecurity or know of a neighbor who is, please let us know. We are committed to the promise that no one in this community should go hungry because of Covid-19 or because of the virus’s impact on our economy.

Special Store Hours for Seniors and Others at High Risk for Covid-19 Most supermarkets have set aside special hours for people at risk for a more serious case of Covid-19 and need to avoid large crowds. Call your supermarket or check its webpage for information on special hours for at-risk individuals. We note information on three local stores below:

Acme reserved 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. every day for seniors, those with compromised immune systems, as well as pregnant mothers and parents with infants.

All Giant grocery stores have reserved the first hour of each day, from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. for shoppers who are 60 or older.

Wholefoods stores in Newtown Square and Glen Mills are opening an hour early every day, 7 a.m., and reserving that time for shoppers 60 or older.

Wallingford-Swarthmore School District Students

Visit the District’s website here for resources for students. Also, anyone with an immediate need that cannot be met by one of the resources mentioned on the District’s website, please reach out to Megan McCullough – Director of Student Services for Behavioral Health at [email protected] or 484-645-1268. She will be able to connect you with one of the WSSD Social Workers and Home & School Visitor.

Your Township Commissioners are coordinating with WSSD officials and School Board Members on the goal of better deploying township and school resources to feed more of our students as the school closure continues. Please contact your School Board Member or Township Commissioner with concerns or questions.

Media Food Bank

The food bank has issued a request for donations as they are running low on supplies and food. To assist in “social distancing”, Nether Providence resident, Kevin Henry, has volunteered to help consolidate donations at his home and deliver them to the food bank every Thursday morning. So, if you’d like to make a donation to the Media Food Bank, please contact Kevin at [email protected] or (610) 213-3133.

Alternatively, the Media Food Bank can accept donations online through the First United Methodist website – there is a drop down menu and you click “food bank” Here is the link:

Preserving Your Mental Health in Crazy Times

For the last several days our community and our nation has been bombarded by a new term: social distancing. While we need to take this practice seriously, we also need to maintain our social bonds in this time of anxiety and worry. For example, our neighborhood and other community bonds should be at the forefront of our thoughts and be made part of our daily habit. Our community has been so focused on what we can’t do that we haven’t discussed what we can do. To that end, we encourage all of you to enjoy our township and community (safely):

-Enjoy the warm spring weather

-Go for a walk or a bike ride

-Talk to your neighbors (while enjoying a safe 6 foot distance)

-Enjoy our parks and open spaces (please avoid our playgrounds)

-Work in your garden

-Wash your hands

-Take a photo of you and your family being safe and having fun and email the township at [email protected]. We’ll include your photos in a collage on our website.

How To Talk To Your Children About COVID19

Many of us have struggled with talking to our kids about the coronavirus. It isn’t easy explaining why life is so different and why we need to change behavior to adults. Communicating all of this to our kids in a way that they can understand and that won’t cause them undue stress and fear is an exponentially greater challenge. We’ve found the following resources to be helpful in starting this conversation with our children:

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-coronavirus

https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/parenting/coronavirus-kids-talk.html