We’re all in this COVID-19 fight together. We are fighting back for our families as Gov. Ron DeSantis, state and federal officials are fighting for us.

In your home and in your family, Rule No.1 must be this: Help yourselves. Get the supplies needed at home for your family to ward of a small hurricane, one that won’t not knock out the power, but it’s a storm we can’t see that will linger for “a while”.

Once you have that down pat, and you’re willing and able, move on to Rule No. 2: Help those who need help who you can help.

Going forward through the next few weeks, food pantries will be at a critical need. Not enough people donate, and those who do will be helping themselves at first.

The Osceola Council on Aging, who house the county’s Meals on Wheels program, were all set to help themselves. Its annual March for Meals charity 5K road race along the Kissimmee Lakefront is a huge fundraiser for the program.

And then a deadly virus that targets the elderly canceled Saturday’s event designed to raise money to help the elderly. Life’s completely unfair sometimes.

But, this week, Meals on Wheels volunteers and its fearless leader, Wilda Belisle, were in their county pantry this week, frantically putting together bags of food to deliver to the old, frail and needy on their list of the community — 150 bags of food went out Tuesday, and they tried to do the same Thursday morning. This way, parents and grandparents don’t have to be out getting groceries in these trying times of fighting crowds, seeing empty shelves and worrying about a deadly virus.

“We’ve been getting a lot of calls since Monday,” Belisle said. “Many can’t go to stores”

The extremely important mission is going to happen each day, but when it’s over — for the day — the shelves look bare and Belisle and her trusty troops get a little nervous.

You can help with donations — and you won’t be first in line. Belisle noted someone came to the Council at 700 Generation Point (south side of 192 just west of Simpson Road) with four bags of TV dinners.

“Those are things we can grab right away and distribute into the community who need help right now, and good for people who cannot cook,” she said.

The Council’s pantries needs some staples: rice, pasta and cans of tuna and meat. Keep in mind if you bring donations to the centers, you’ll be screened to ensure you have no COVID-19 symptoms.

If you don’t have them on hand, but are eager to make a donation, go online to www.osceolagenerations.com, and fund the Council on Aging’s vital Meals on Wheels lifeline for our community’s senior population. Contact Belisle at 407-847-2144 if you can help her mission out directly.

You’ll truly be making a difference in Osceola County.