Harry Zhu Puts Senior Home Visits on Hold, Delivers Face Masks Instead

LA JOLLA, Calif. – Born in Japan and raised in China, Harry Zhu of the UC San Diego men’s rowing team moved to Torrance, Calif. with his family when he was in seventh grade. Zhu began middle school in Torrance, settling into his new life in the United States. A year later, something happened that sparked a passion in him.

“It all started with one of my teachers,” Zhu explained. “She asked me to go to senior homes for monthly visits to perform my talents for the seniors and to talk with them and to share my energy with them."

Zhu loved visiting with the seniors. Inspired by his monthly visits, he started a nonprofit, the South Bay Senior Care Organization.

“We have volunteer performers who come and perform for the seniors for an hour or two, like a talent show,” Zhu shared. “We go to multiple senior homes. Sometimes they invite us for special occasions like Chinese New Year, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.” 

With the rise of the COVID-19 though, things quickly changed for Zhu and his nonprofit.

“I was paying heavy attention since the coronavirus started in China,” Zhu said. “I know it’s harmful for the seniors since they don’t have as strong of immune systems as young adults. 

“I was getting worried in February. We cancelled all of our visits in February and only did one visit during all of March. When it exploded in America in late March, we had already cancelled all our April and May visits."

Despite the cancelled visits, Zhu decided not to allow the coronavirus to keep him from helping the senior community. He turned to an alternative: delivering face masks.

“There were face masks that arrived in America, donated by the Chinese-American Community in the Palos Verdes and Greater South Bay Area,” Zhu described. “The entire shipment was 32,000 face masks donated with a bunch of shoe covers, gloves, goggles, and protective uniforms. 

“All those supplies were to be donated to senior care centers like the ones I help with, our local public health services, our fire department and police department, and all sorts of departments in order to keep our front-line heroes safe from the virus.”

The shipment was sent to Chino Hills, about an hour from Zhu’s home in Torrance. Zhu drove to the location to gather the supplies.

“There were people over there to help unbox the shipments,” Zhu recalled. “They put the boxes in our car to take back to the South Bay area.

“Then on Saturday, we unboxed all the smaller boxes to check everything inside and make sure we had the right amount. We spent the whole day doing that and putting stickers on the boxes so the recipients would know the donations came from the Chinese-American community in the Palos Verdes and Greater South Bay Area.”

The next day, Zhu set out to deliver the supplies to those in need. 

“I would call the managers to tell them I was there because the policy was that I was not allowed to go in,” Zhu recounted. “Then I’d give them the masks. I’m glad they weren’t allowing anyone to go inside in order to keep the seniors safe.”

Although Zhu wasn’t able to see the reaction of the seniors, he noticed how grateful the staff was.

“The staff at the senior homes were very thankful,” Zhu recalled. “They were very in need of the masks, and these masks could possibly save someone’s life.”

Zhu shared that he is glad to have the opportunity to continue serving the community while his monthly senior home visits are on hold. 

“As one of the members of the community, I feel that this place is our home,” Zhu said. “There are people I love and people who love me in the South Bay community, and I want to protect this community. The reason I’ve gone to senior homes so often for the past nine years is because I love these seniors.

"We do this from the bottom of our hearts. We want to make sure everyone stays safe and healthy."

As for Zhu, he has been at home with his family in Torrance since learning that UC San Diego’s winter finals would be moved online. Although he misses working out as a student-athlete at UC San Diego, Zhu appreciates the convenience of taking online classes from home. When he is not serving the community, he and his family have been self-quarantining at home.

“We’re all self-quarantining even though we haven’t been exposed to anyone with coronavirus because we want to keep others safe and ourselves safe,” Zhu expressed. “Essential workers are risking their lives for us and I feel really glad that I’m protected by the heroes on the front lines who are saving our lives. 

“I’m staying at home for them.”

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