A young man with a mask on standing in front of houses holding a large Trader Joe's brown bag
courtesy of family
You Write It Interview,

Delivering Kindness

When the pandemic hit, Nolan Mejia, 17, realized many people couldn’t go grocery shopping. So he decided to do something about it.

By Adee Braun
From the March 2021 Issue
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    R.1, W.5, L.3
  • Grade 6
    RI.6.1, W.6.5, L.6.3
  • Grade 7
    RI.7.1, W.7.5, L.7.3
  • Grade 8
    RI.8.1, W.8.5 , L.8.3
TEKS Standards
  • Grades 6, 7, 8
    10b, 10c, 10d

Presentation View
See Student View

Directions

1. Read the interview. 

2. Choose a central idea for your article. 

3. Write a three-paragraph article about Nolan in your own words. Use quotes from our interview.

© Jarrod Valliere/San Diego Union-Tribune via ZUMA Wire

Nola Mejia

Adee Braun : What is Grocery Grab?

Nolan Mejia: Grocery Grab is a free grocery shopping service that I started in San Diego County, California. It’s for senior citizens or anyone at high risk for becoming seriously ill from Covid-19.

AB : How did you come up with the idea?

NM: When the pandemic started, I realized that many senior citizens didn’t have somebody who could get groceries for them. I felt inspired to start this service because it’s important to help people in times of need. I had volunteered in the past at elementary schools, libraries, and summer camps. But I had never done anything like this before!

AB : What is a typical grocery store run like?

NM: A person will email, text, or call us with a list of groceries and their preferred store. Then I, or another volunteer (many volunteers are friends of mine from school), will drive to the store and shop for the items. When the pandemic first began, some things like toilet paper and cleaning supplies were difficult to find, but that’s less of a problem these days.

When I’m done shopping, I deliver the groceries right to the person’s door, and they pay me back in cash or through a payment app. It’s all totally free, but sometimes we get “tips,” which we donate to the San Diego Covid-19 Community Response Fund.

AB : How do you stay safe while shopping and delivering groceries?

NM : All volunteers practice social distancing, wear masks and gloves, and sanitize before, during, and after shopping. Some people open the door when we deliver the groceries, and we can have a conversation from a distance with masks on. It’s nice to catch up with people and check in on them.

AB : What’s the response to Grocery Grab been like?

NM: It’s been amazing! Everyone is very supportive of the organization and has helped by spreading the word to those who need it the most. So far, Grocery Grab has served more than 100 people and delivered more than 7,000 grocery items.

AB : Wow! So what’s been the most rewarding part?

NM: Seeing how happy senior citizens are when I deliver their groceries is heartwarming. Forming a relationship with different people in my community has been very valuable as well. I’ve met many new people to look up to and learn from.

AB : What advice would you give to kids who want to help people in their own communities?

NM: Many people feel isolated right now, especially senior citizens. So it’s crucial that we try to connect with them. Even if you don’t drive or have access to a car, you can still make a difference. Reach out to senior citizens in your community; call them, email them, write them letters. Making a difference can be difficult sometimes! But it’s important to try your best to overcome these challenges, because that will shape you as a person.

This article was originally published in the March 2021 issue.

Activities (4)
Reference
Writing Support
Activities (4)
Reference
Writing Support
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

1. READING THE INTERVIEW

  • Give students a minute to preview the You Write It: Interview. Prompt students to use the headline, subhead, and central image to identify the topic of the interview.
  • Break students into groups to read each section of the interview and discuss what they find interesting, surprising, or convincing.
  • Reconvene as a class and ask volunteers to summarize the central idea and supporting details from the interview. Have a volunteer read aloud the writing prompt at the top of the page in the printed magazine or at the top of the digital story page. Brainstorm examples of central ideas (or central claims) that could be used.

2. MODELING THE TEXT

If your students need additional support, project the Annotated Model Text or the Non-Annotated Model Text and review together first.

3. WRITING

  • Distribute the guided-writing activity (available in your Resources tab). This activity guides students to choose a central idea for their articles, paraphrase each question-and-answer pair from the interview, and choose sentences from the interview that they will use as quotations in their articles.
  • Using their responses from the guided-writing activity, have students write a three-paragraph article about the inspiring student using these guidelines:
    •    Opening Paragraph:
      • Your first sentence should be a hook—that is, it should grab the reader’s attention. One option is to state something that is surprising, interesting, or moving. What detail from the interview did you find most interesting?
      • Let readers know what the article is going to be about. In other words, state the central idea of the article.
    •  Body Paragraph:
      • Explain to your readers what the inspiring student’s experience was like, using information from the question-and-answer pairs you summarized.
      • Summarize the most important ideas presented in the interview. Each idea you include should support the central idea that you wrote.
      • Don’t forget to include the direct quotes you chose.
    • Conclusion:
      • Wrap it all up. End your article with a strong sentence that will give your readers something to think about. One option is to end with a quote. Another is to refer to your hook from the opening paragraph.
Text-to-Speech