Shining a light: Mutual Aid Group founders share drive to help
Sally Boynton Brown founded the Idaho COVID-19 Mutual Aid Group on Facebook on March 14, the day after Idaho confirmed its first case of the illness. The group took off like a wildfire, spreading across the state, inspiring a wellspring of community spirit.
“We had 18,000 people join our main group in 10 days,” Boynton Brown said.
Twenty-seven local community groups have been spun off of the main one so that people in their communities can better help one another, especially since the stay-at-home order came down from Gov. Brad Little on Wednesday.
Meet Josh Harrison, Jennifer Walz and Stacey Leavitt-Wilson, three local community administrators for Ada and Canyon County subgroups.
Josh Harrison
Harrison said he started out with the main group, but “there was so much to sift through.” Since the group branched out into subgroups — and now, there is even an app available — people with needs are being helped more efficiently and expeditiously, Harrison said.
He said he was “spurned into action by what’s going on. It’s been an interesting shift to my usual demeanor; I’ve actually done three emergency supply runs for families in need. Food is the biggest one.”
Harrison, a woodworker by trade, said he has been spending a lot of time trying to connect those in need with the help and/or goods they are looking for. “I usually spend half my day or better doing it.”
Harrison lives with his wife, 11-year-old daughter and mother-in-law and said it’s all about staying safe while helping others. “It’s good to see we’ve got these members in the community actively helping one another. A big thing for me is that we’re not overloaded with negativity.”
Jennifer Walz
“My heart and background has always been working with kids,” said Walz, who has been helping as an admin with the group from almost its inception.
“It’s a full-time job,” she said. “I’m a night owl, so I take the night shift.”
Walz said her mother and father inspired in her from an early age the importance of giving back. Once, her father drove from Baker City, Oregon, to Boise and back for a Christmas Eve shopping trip for “the 10 poorest families in town. We delivered all that stuff to them, too. I will never forget that,” Walz said, with husky-voiced emotion. “And that’s why I do what I do.”
Stacey Leavitt-Wilson
Leavitt-Wilson got involved with the group at the git-go, too, she said. “I contacted Sally and said, ‘I want to help, do some good.’”
And it began snowballing right away. “After 48 hours, I said, ‘Holy moly, we’ve got to split this group up,’” she said.
How much time does she spend on the group? “I’m not sure any more,” Leavitt-Wilson said. She said for the most part, everyone has been on board with what the group is all about.
“There’ve been a few instances of people going down that political rabbit hole ... but everyone, really, is there to encourage, empower and help one another,” she said, “and people have been respectful of that.
“Honestly, I’m just a mom,” Leavitt-Wilson said. “For me, it was more about helping those who needed help ... because people are scared. They don’t know what to believe. I thought, ‘I’ve gotta do something. I can’t just sit here and do nothing.’
“I guess in the beginning, many felt like it was this grand apocalyptic thing, but the fears have come down from that,” Leavitt-Wilson said. “Now, we just don’t know how long this is going to last. We have to take it day by day. In my heart, it doesn’t do any good to fear the unknown.”The Idaho Press is offering free online access to all of our local coronavirus stories. Our ongoing coverage of the Treasure Valley relies on the generous support from our readers. To strengthen local journalism, please consider subscribing at iptoffers.com. For daily updates in your inbox, sign up for our COVID-19 newsletter.