Santa Maria woman using signs to help neighbors during COVID-19 crisis
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michele Knothe is on her morning bike ride through the Casa Del Rio senior mobile home park in Santa Maria. She's looking for a green sign in the window that lets her know her neighbors are okay and not in need of any help.
"A lot of people are inside, they don't really see their neighbors", Knothe said.
Knothe has handed out green "Okay" signs and red "Not Okay" signs to most of the residents in the park.
"If they were okay and have people coming to take care of them they would put the green thing in their window," Knothe said. "If they needed to put the red one up someone would stop or I would call them or try to contact their caretaker. Its great, we've gotten to know people, everybody, they'll chase me down, 'You're the Okay Lady, can I have a sign?' Which is great, you know, and people are talking to their neighbors."
The neighborly care and concern is welcomes in the tightly-knit 55 and older senior community.
"She has a very kind heart and is unusually perceptive about what's going on in her community," said Casa Del Rio resident Reba Maloney.
"You know its seniors, we're very lucky here, we haven't had any issues with illness or anything", Knothe said. "You're talking close to 250 units, the majority have two people in them, so that's a lot of people in this tiny little community, and we like to take care of our people."
That neighborly care includes going to the store to buy groceries, going to the drug store to refill prescription medication or just being there to have someone to talk to.
