It’s well known that the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 impacts the elderly more so than the young. According to Forbes and Statista, approximately 30% of adults over the age of 65 who test positive for COVID-19 must be hospitalized and the fatality rate of those over 75 years of age is over 10%. [1] Because of how dangerous this virus is for seniors, it is advised that they stay home as much as possible to avoid contracting the infection (Of course, this is not to say that the young are immune).

In any case, that recommendation creates complications. Seniors need to run errands, go grocery shopping, pick up medications, and engage in other day-to-day tasks like the rest of us. Coronavirus represents a significant disruption to their lives just as much as anyone else’s, and not every older person has family or friends nearby who can help them get what they need.

Daniel Goldberg, a junior student-athlete at San Marcos High in Santa Barbara, California decided to step up and do something to help solve that problem. So he created the website Zoomers to Boomers, which allows seniors in the Santa Barbara area to list their grocery needs and then, by the next day, Daniel or one of his high school friends will deliver it to them.

The name “Zoomers to Boomers” is a play on colloquial terms for their respective generations. Older Americans generally belong to the Baby Boomer generation and younger Americans, born between 1997 and 2012 and are called Generation Z, or “Zoomers,” many of which are currently in high school.

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“The first week off school I was just spending time with siblings, and I was trying to follow all the regulations of isolate at home, don’t go out and spread anything around,” Daniel said in an interview with Santa Barbara’s Noozhawk. [2] “I felt I wasn’t helping when there was help that was needed.”

Daniel was inspired to take action by his father, an ER doctor at Santa Barbara’s Cottage Hospital.

“I saw my dad (Dr. Brian Goldberg) going into work at the ER every day and he was putting himself out on the front line,” Daniel said. “I was just sitting at home twiddling my thumbs. I was like: ‘There has to be something I can do to try help out in the community.’ I started thinking and brainstorming on how I can help.”

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Now, Daniel has a team of 13 fellow high school students helping make these deliveries every day. To protect the health of the Boomers, all Zoomers must take precautions to not spread the disease, including wearing N95 masks and gloves when making deliveries.

Daniel felt like he could call upon his fellow Zoomers to take up the cause of assisting Boomers.

“All these people are people I’m comfortable asking, ‘Do you want to help?’” he said. “They’re friends from school and water polo, people I know.”

Zoomers to Boomers is a free service to seniors in the Santa Barbara area. Payments are not accepted for the orders and all tips are donated to needy people in the area.

The website is very simple to use. The Boomer customers are able to create a grocery list on the website. The drivers then visit the store to pick up the items. After the items are purchased, a bill is sent to the Boomer, who can then pay the driver through cash, check, or Venmo.

“They answer all the information we need and we send a driver out and we’ll have (the grocery) order to them by the next morning,” Daniel said. “For the non-tech savvy, they can send me an email. I can call a couple of people and make the delivery.”

So far, Zoomers to Boomers have fulfilled 50 orders with more coming in every day. Daniel is looking for more young people in the area who can help fulfill orders.

“I’m going to try to grow the team a little more,” he said.

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