Coronavirus In RI: How Bristol Parks & Recreation Is Giving Back

BRISTOL, RI — From board game giveaways to free online fitness classes to checking in on home-bound residents, Bristol Parks and Recreation is working to ensure that the new coronavirus doesn't get residents down.

On Thursday, the department shared a post on Facebook inviting residents to pick up a free unopened board game, and more than 40 people did just that, Director Sarah Klein said.

Though the department gave away most of its 51 games, a few remain. So, Klein said, the department staff is working to find more in its inventory so it can schedule another giveaway. Details of upcoming giveaways are to be shared on the department's Facebook page.

At this time, Parks and Recreation is not accepting donated games.

The games were collected last year — some were donated by Hasbro — to be given away at Christmastime. The department usually gives away around 200 gifts during the holidays, but "numbers were a little light last year," Klein said.

Because board games are timeless, the department held on to the leftovers, saving them for the following Christmas or for summer camps.

But instead of saving them for Christmas this year, the city of Bristol gave the department the green light, and staffers set up the giveaway.

Klein said the reason the department gave away games Thursday is simple: "Our community center is closed. Yesterday, unfortunately, we closed the courts and the playgrounds. We wanted to do something positive today."

Giving away board games isn't the only way the department is supporting the community amid the coronavirus-related closures.

Bristol Zumba instructor Nellie Guerriero told Patch she is experimenting with offering up online classes for Bristol residents, something she has already done once since the community center closed to the public.

When Guerriero's free St. Patrick's Day Zumba class was canceled in response to the spread of the coronavirus, she decided to offer it online through the Zoom video conferencing service.

Guerriero said about 45 people dialed in to the call to participate. But, for many, it was less about exercise and more about community.

"They all got to see each other," she said. "People are just really missing each other."

Klein added that some who attended the online Zumba class also used it as a time to reach out to others and catch up with friends.

"They were reaching out to hear and see each other and bring back that community they have when they walk in the front doors here," she said. "We're a community center, so when people come in the door — a lot of times — it's a hug, a high-five, a hello."

Guerriero said she hopes to organize more online fitness classes to keep community members moving while they're stuck at home, including Zumba and yoga classes for kids and the elderly. Once events are planned, they will be shared on the Bristol Parks and Recreation Facebook Page and Guerriero's Facebook page, Zumba With Nellie G.

Klein said she, Assistant Director Tim Shaw and Parks and Recreation administrative assistant Michele Martins are also working to check on homebound seniors in the community.

The team, Klein said, has been "checking in and saying hello, making sure they're being cared for by a caregiver or family member, and letting them know they're not forgotten in the town of Bristol."