ANKENY, Iowa — A social media group created to help dads in Ankney deal with the isolation and depression of the pandemic is continuing to grow.
The creator, Andy Pollock, is hoping to add more dads to make sure everyone knows they are not alone. The name of the group is called Dads of Ankney.
Pollock started it in the early morning hours of Nov. 16, 2020, meant to give dads a place to connect.
A look down the timeline of the group's page and one would see most posts are about food, people introducing themselves and memes.
"It's more of a place we can celebrate the successes of things," Pollock said. "Whether we nailed that brisket or our kids."
Dads of Ankeny is intended to be positive. That's because it was started during the pandemic, a time Pollock said wasn't so happy for many.
"Everyone was pretty stressed out about stuff … I think everyone was feeling in isolation at this point and I thought it was something we could unite a bunch of guys around."
Pollock wants dads who feel isolated or depressed to join Dads of Ankeny to express themselves and find people to relate to.
Waleed Wadi, one member of the group said being a part of this, is making connections he didn't think he would.
"You start to feel not isolated," Wadi said. "You see people you know you see familiar faces and frankly whenever you see people online … it's an informal way to break the ice with someone and you've got a common bond."
Pollock said the group is now doing meetups in person for happy hour or coffee, and they are planning to do a coffee one soon.
If you are a dad in Ankney and want to join the group Dads of Ankney, reach out to Andy Pollock on Facebook.