Delivering hope to elders in isolation

Equipped with emojis, volunteers and Sunny the dog, Henry Liu delivers groceries to seniors in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.

Before the pandemic, Liu organized Mahjong games and sent pictures of his dog, Sunny, over WeChat to help make seniors feel young and engaged with their community. When the pandemic hit, Liu, a program manager with a nonprofit that serves primarily Chinese elders, was faced with a new set of challenges as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, anti-Chinese sentiment and elderly people who were too afraid to leave their homes. Liu started organizing volunteers to deliver groceries and connect isolated seniors to essential needs.