BY KAREN BOSSICK

Andrea Nelson has sent many things through the mail. But she’s never had to send toilet paper before.

That changed when the Blaine County woman got an urgent SOS from her daughter: Please send TP!

“She has five people in a two-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles and there was no toilet paper to be found in the entire city,” said Nelson.

Acting on a tip from a friend, Nelson and her husband drove to Costco in Twin Falls to load up on toilet paper that had just been trucked in. By the time they got there, it was gone.

They were, however, able to come up with five rolls that they shipped to her daughter, who graduated from the UCLA with highest honors and is working as a legal assistant at a law firm specializing in civil rights.

The cost for the express shipment: about $30.

“But, at least, they now have toilet paper,” she said.

Once Nelson had tended to her daughter, she resumed going about her business running errands for a few elderly people in the Wood River Valley who are trying to avoid leaving home because they’re considered high-risk.

She makes her rounds wearing latex gloves, hand sanitizer and Lysol in hand for anything she touches. She also wears a scarf wrapped around her face.

“The scarf won’t protect me from the virus,” Nelson said. “But I have seasonal allergies, and I hope that the scarf will keep people from freaking out if I have to sneeze.”

KINDNESS IS CATCHING

Jillian Shay of Boise announced to her friends and Facebook community that she is organizing a delivery and help service for the elderly and immunocompromised in Blaine County where her parents live, as well as Boise and surrounding areas.

She’s coordinating with local food banks to get groceries for those who cannot afford them at this time. And she’s created a nonprofit called Love for Less for those who would like to donate to the cause. Shay has encouraged those in other communities to set up similar efforts in their areas.