In March, Our Swedish members Svenska Kyrkan and Sveriges Stadsmissioner responded to the call of local authorities for solidarity with the elderly and the most vulnerable forced to stay at home by the COVID-19 pandemic.
An agreement was signed by the Swedish Government and different civil society organisations to provide grocery and medicine shopping services to people in need. The next step of the partnership was for the Swedish municipalities, regions, and social service providers at the local level to develop a collaborative model and get the services to start.
People in need of special assistance can register with their local council, which then redirects their request to the civil society organisations. The services are mostly run by volunteers fulfilling the rules of social distancing imposed by the Swedish Government.
“As a church, we must protect each other and to turn the worries and fear into love and care”, said Helén Ottosson Lovén, Svenska Kyrkan Secretary General.
To know more about grocery and medicine shopping services in Sweden, please check Svenska Kyrkan’s website.