A thread for listing ways ordinary folks can be of help in the fight against COVID-19 and its effects.
It’s intended for ways anyone can pitch in for broad coronavirus relief efforts, through actions or donations, including nonprofits and charities, and is certainly not restricted to the US. It’s also a place to warn of scams and scam sites.
Keep track of family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances and help them as best you can in whatever ways you can. Don’t underestimate the psychological aspect of people who are shut in.
If you have a stable job that pays the bills then consider using the stimulus money to help those in need and businesses that are struggling.
Donate blood. I’m not sure how that works in a pandemic but they really need it.
I found this Washington Post article (March 30th, but they may update it regularly; and btw they’re usually paywalled, but they allow free viewing of their coronavirus content). It has a lot of good ideas for help within the US. It includes a long list of nonprofits.
Apparently nonprofits’ services are particularly in demand right now, while donor funds have gotten shaky. From the same WaPo article,
Small businesses of course are also having problems. Yelp just came up with a pretty good idea. It now allows donations to local businesses through their respective Yelp pages (with a certain amount of funds matching). Link.
More sites and ideas:
in the US:
Feeding America–for foodbanks in the US; they have set up a COVID-19 response fund.
No Kid Hungry–another food-related charity in the US.
Meals on Wheels–volunteering for homebound seniors (some may have curbside dropoffs); find a local provider, or donate to the national organization .
The CDC Foundation has a coronavirus emergency response fund.
The Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation “started a COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund to support restaurant workers and their families during this difficult time” [3].
GoFundMe has started a general COVID-19 fund.
those with a global footprint:
World Health Orgainzation–they have a “solidarity response fund.”
Center for Disaster Philanthropy–general support for nonprofits; website includes general recommendations for donations; they have a COVID-19 response fund.
Direct Relief–global, for instance getting supplies to countries that need them most; they have a coronavirus-specific page.
Global Giving–US based; coronavirus relief fund, “will help local organizations in affected areas meet immediate needs for health care, food, and water and transition to longer-term education and recovery efforts” [2].
The International Medical Corps–working with the WHO “to provide expertise, equipment, training, and triage and treatment services in over thirty countries for the COVID-19 pandemic” [3].
The United Way has a global COVID-19 response fund. United Way is also linked to local 211 organizations in the US. 211 (for those who weren’t aware) is a community referral service, whose scope includes disaster response and recovery (they get a lot of calls concerning COVID-19, like questions about financial assistance, etc.). You can donate to your local 211 agency directly too.
World Central Kitchen–worldwide hunger; they have a US-specific response page (“chefs for America”).
Save the Children–general, global help for children in coronavirus; helps supply PPE to front line workers, etc.
UNICEF–also, sends supplies to children for (direct or knock-on) effects of virus.
general and msc:
general donation clearinghouses:
“The charity rating sites Charity Navigator and CharityWatch have lists of vetted charities working around the world to address the outbreak, including Lutheran World Relief, Heart to Heart International, and Doctors Without Borders, which is working to evacuate refugee camps in Greece at risk of becoming outbreak zones. The Center for Disaster Philanthropy suggests donating to groups focused on “WASH” — water, sanitation and hygiene.” [1]
foodbanks:
Because of households stockpiling food (in America at least), grocery stores have made fewer donations to local foodbanks, causing a potential shortage. Foodbanks may prefer cash over canned goods. Find one in your area here.
“While volunteering in person at a food bank may not be advised as people practice social distancing, Strickland recommends calling one in your area to see what their needs are…‘There are still ways you can support the food bank while not physically at the food bank — you can donate online, raise awareness by sharing food bank messaging on social media, and advocate for support at the federal level,’ Strickland said.” [1]
local businesses:
Consider buying gift cards (eg online) from your local businesses–these act like short term loans.
the homeless:
One source recommends, “contacting your local homeless shelters and homeless service organizations to find out what they need most now.” [1]
donating blood:
The blood supply has taken a hit because fewer people are going to blood drives, and many blood drives have been canceled. Blood drives are now noting they’re taking extra precautions, like temperature checks for all involved, to make sure they’re safe. It’s also possible to make individual appointments with blood donation centers in your area. Here is the Red Cross site that lists blood drives in any US area (enter US zip).
Don’t like a deluge of emails, phone calls, and snail mail from charitable organizations after donating? Both the PayPal Giving Fund, and CharityNavigator allow anonymous donations to any of their (numerous) listed charities.
references:
(1) a Marketwatch article
(2) a Buzzfeed article
(3) a Town and Country article
Seconded
Speaking just for myself, I’m donating mine to the local food bank.
They don’t want mine because of my meds but I wish I could do this.
If you know someone struggling that is on EBT (food stamps) they can’t order things for delivery and it makes it a lot harder to avoid “social distancing” because they have to go to the grocery store. Some states are working on a pilot program I think at Walmart but it’s only two or three. I wish they would make it easier. It’s scary for me to have to get out for my groceries but I don’t have a choice. It’s a shame they couldn’t at least make delivery available for elderly/high risk people on EBT at least temporarily. So anyway if you know anyone on EBT don’t just assume they have food just because they get an allotment. Help them out with a drop-off.