PORTLAND, Ore. — So many of us are either ordering takeout to support our local restaurants or people are cooking a lot more, trying to stay indoors. Cooking more is exactly what Casey Barkmeier and his girlfriend Madeline Conley are doing.
“Just a simple family meal,” said Barkmeier as he made meatloaf. “Only difference is we make a little more and we pack it in to-go containers."
Those to-go containers are filled with food for people also living in his Southwest Portland building who need help getting meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I just wanted to do something,” Barkmeier said.
So, he posted a note in the lobby of his building.
“We live in a big building and I assume there's going be some people in this building that are gonna be more at risk,” he said.
So far, a handful of people have reached out for help.
“Our most popular one [meal] was his family's chicken marsala dish,” said Conley.
A few people have said they might take Barkmeier and Conley up on the offer if their situation gets worse. But every night, the duo is cooking for a couple people who asked for help.
“One of the gentlemen we cook for is in the most at risk. He's over 80 and it sounds like he has limited family here,” Barkmeier said.
The couple's efforts are inspiring even more good. The note Barkmeier posted is what prompted Joe Conyard to post a note of his own.
“I just left a note asking anyone if they needed any help with grocery shopping, going for a walk, walking their dog,” said Conyard. “Just kind of letting people know, you have people in the building who care."
Marcia McKean, who also lives in the same building, saw Barkmeier’s note too.
“I was down in the laundry room and I saw this notice on the bulletin board,” she said.
Both Barkmeier and Conyard’s notes inspired her to form a group of more than 20 people on Nextdoor, an app and website that acts as a forum for people who live in the same neighborhood. The group McKean created is dedicated to helping people in their building.
“A lot of people have written and said let me know how I can help,” said McKean.
What started from a single offer to cook meals for those in need, quickly produced a domino effect of kindness.
“We're all in this together,” said Conyard.
“I'm pretty sure that when we come out the other end, we’re going to be more connected and kinder,” McKean said.
You never know what your good deed will inspire others to do down the line.
If you have a positive story you’d like to share, let us know by using the hashtag #KGWTogether. We want to highlight the good that is happening in our community.
