I wish I could be with people in my extended family to run out and help them during this unique time in our collective history. I wish I could run to the store for them, but I can’t. We need to stay put and they live hundreds of miles away.
If you’re also facing loved ones being far away from your reach or maintaining our social distance to prevent any chance of illness, you may be unable to directly get them the things that would otherise give you peace of mind. You may want those loved ones to know you are thinking of them and want to be sure they are staying home and staying safe to limit their exposure risk to Covid-19. I’m with you.
If your parents are like my mom, they may not have been prepared for a pandemic! (Who really can be, besides those in charge…but I digress..)
Retirement can be nice when there are plenty of local establishements to visit.
But now we need to have our folks stay home . We need to stay home. Things like getting groceries can seem like prepping for a strange Rugby match…both online and in person. Doctors are posting tutorials on literally disinfecting every item you bring in. It may be a good idea or may seem extreme but we are in a weird and troubling situation with such an illness floating around, so there is open debate on it all.
Plenty of folks are still ordering take out and gift cards to support local businesses. That activity may not be in the cards for everyone and I started to think about other resources for shipping food to my family members who I hope are able to stay put at home for a while. Besides utilizing local grocery delivery options like Shipt and Instacart, etc. I wanted to find sites to ship direct from Michigan companies who are still mainatining robust distribution and delivery in the state to support them. I also thought this would bring some much needed joy to the situation by getting these non-amazon deliveries to their doorsteps, all the while stocking their pantries and illiminating the need for my favorite Boomers to leave their homes.
In doing this I’ve complied a short list of some of my favorite Michigan companies who are currently shipping (*note real-time availablity may vary.) I’ve also listed some more corporate national mail-order companies for reference, in lieu of an amazon delivery. This is not intended to serve as an advertisment or specific endorsement of any company, and I am not being paid to share these. You may be able to benefit from the list I compiled if you want to ship something during this time.
We ordered a chicken pot pie for Easter for my mother to receive and my in-laws will get a rhubarb crumble pie from Grand Traverse Pie Company (they even let you customize your pie with a “we love you” cut out on top or an Easter Bunny shape!) We hope these yummy comforts will be a good surprise and encourage them during the stay-at-home order.
Thank you to all of the staff and the companies working over time to continue shipping!
I am also including the Michigan Doctor’s video tutorial on handling incoming goods into your home if you are up for the full precautionary OCD level of comfort. See the links below.
Stay home and stay safe, Michiganders! We are fortunate to have food and homes. So many folks are struggling and we’ll need to boost each other up. Stay well!
Michigan Companies who are shipping:
https://cherryrepublic.com/shop-all/spring-favorites/
https://stonehousebread.com/bread/
https://www.pasty.com/order.html
http://www.tracklements.com/orders.html
https://americanconeyisland.goldbelly.com/15325-american-coney-island-kits?ref=collection
https://nationalconeyisland.com/online-store
https://mcclures.com/pages/the-goods
https://store.cgtwines.com/shippingpolicy.aspx
https://www.davessweettooth.com/collections/all-toffee
https://www.benjamintwiggs.com/
https://store.detroitpopcorn.com/
https://www.germack.com/shop,gifts,germack-coffee
https://ferriscoffee.com/collections/all
https://www.grocersdaughter.com/
National Sites:
https://www.blueapron.com/pages/sample-recipes
https://www.harryanddavid.com/h/easter-gifts
https://www.omahasteaks.com/shop/
How to bring in goods to limit risk and clean them during a pandemic: (From a Michigan Doctor — advice has not been independently verified so make your own judgement!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjDuwc9KBps&feature=emb_title