2022 Award Recipient
MatthewCasertano
Project Teens Helping Seniors
Project Teens Helping Seniors
In the earliest days of the pandemic, Matthew began delivering groceries to his grandparents to ensure that they wouldn’t be exposed to Covid-19 while shopping or running errands. When he discovered his friend Dhruv was doing the same thing for his grandparents, Matthew knew that other seniors in his community were also in need of the same help.
In response, they started Teens Helping Seniors to provide contactless delivery of essential items to senior citizens and immunocompromised individuals, addressing the precarious situation in which many people found themselves forced to choose between getting essential items and their own safety. Since they started coordinating deliveries, Teens Helping Seniors has delivered more than 3,500 bundles of groceries and medication to high-risk groups and mobilized hundreds of young people to help citizens in their communities through a robust chapter system.
Teens Helping Seniors seeks to keep vulnerable people safe from Covid-19 while also facilitating relationships between seniors and teens. Started in the earliest days of the pandemic, the group connects older people and those who are immunocompromised or disabled with teen volunteers who can pick up their groceries and medications for them. In addition to providing seniors peace of mind and safety from Covid-19, Matthew’s work brings the youngest and oldest generations of society closer together.
