118: Audrey Townsend

Mother, Neighborhood Hero

Audrey’s husband worked continuously through the pandemic in Pest Control, seeing to essential business that stayed open, like hospitals. And, Audrey stayed home with five children, ranging in age from 1 to 8 years old.

She not only continued to home school the kids, but also regularly looked in on her 92-year-old neighbor. We will call her Miss J. Living across the street from each other, Audrey would do things like take her meals and assist with shopping. In order for the neighbor to have some social interaction, Audrey would safely take her kids to Miss J’s front lawn and have them play there. All the while Miss J watched, laughed, and enjoyed it from her front porch.

Self admittedly, Audrey says she is a bit introverted. But knowing Miss J for the four years they lived across from each other has actually helped her be more outgoing. So, the benefit of this relationship goes both ways. Outside of their interaction, Audrey says she saw a lot of negativity this past year. She says, “It was ugly.” But she focuses on the positive and recognizes, “It’s the simple things we do for each other that matter.”

Moving forward she would like to see local communities build and foster “The community life.” She herself would like to be more involved with community activities, like a community garden.