10 Ways to Help Out During the Pandemic

It seems so far people (besides the hoarders) are coming together to help each other out during the pandemic in our city.  Lots of people are donating things and volunteering to help where needed which is always good to see!  Here are 10 ways people can help others during this difficult time.

1. Donate blood.  There is a nation-wide shortage of blood because people who usually donate blood are staying home and staying away from other people.  I believe the blood donation places are taking special precautions to ensure only one person comes in at a time to donate blood to avoid spreading the virus.
2. If you have spare PPEs (disposable gloves, gowns, masks, face shields, etc) consider donating them to a local hospital, nursing home, EMS service, law enforcement organization, etc.  All of these people who must deal with sick people on a daily basis are scrambling to find these critical items to protect themselves.
3. Donate food and supplies if you have extra.  Many of our local non-profits, from homeless shelters to food banks to animal shelters, etc. have put out a call for donated food and hygiene items so that they can use them for the people and pets they take care of.  If we can't buy stuff in our regular stores, you can bet these people are having an even harder time getting stuff they need.
4. Donate money to local non-profits.  Places like food banks can buy a lot more food through their channels with money than what we can buy in a regular store with the same amount of money.
5. Check on older friends and relatives regularly, especially if they live alone.  At least I have the hubby to talk to and keep me entertained, I imagine it would be super isolating and lonely if a single person is staying in their home 24/7 by themself.  We call/text/Facetime all of our older relatives a few times a week just to say hi and check in with them.
6. If you are a credentialed or retired medical professional, consider volunteering in a local hospital.  Some hospitals in particularly hard-hit areas are calling for volunteers wherever they can find them.  Of course you would need to measure the risk/reward as most retirees are also in the high risk category for complications from the coronavirus.
7. Consider helping out first responders (doctors, nurses, nursing home workers, etc) as you can.  This can range from babysitting for their kids to cooking them meals to ordering pizza to be delivered to the ER of your local hospital.  Again, you need to measure the risk/reward if, for example, you decide to watch someone else's kids...they are germy little creatures!
8. Answer the call to volunteer in your community.  Our CERT Team has sent out a call for volunteers as have the local meal programs and homeless outreach programs.  Again, the risk/reward for helping out with the public is your call.
9. If you have skills, consider using them to help out the cause.  Some people are sewing face masks to donate and this guy even invented a new ventilator to help.
10. Plant a victory garden.  If you have the time and space to grow your own garden, this is both a great way to exercise as well as produce food for yourself, your friends, and family.

A Few Words on Volunteering

One thing I've noticed over the past decade is the steep drop off in people volunteering for various causes.  Maybe because I am living in a big city now instead of a small town?  Maybe because the lack of volunteers is glaringly obvious because our 60 year old volunteers from a decade ago are now 70 years old and cutting back/quitting their volunteer activities due to a variety of reasons?

Years ago it seemed like volunteering was something everyone did.  People of all ages--from kids to seniors--seemed to volunteer for everything from school and church activities to community events and hobby activities.  I remember my grandmother volunteering, my mother volunteering, and as soon as I was old enough, I volunteered which carried through until now when I still volunteer for several causes and activities.

Unfortunately, I've also noticed that in many of my clubs and community activities, I am usually the youngest volunteer and the average age of participants is around 70+ years of age!  And this isn't just a problem around here.  This pastor wrote an obituary for the demise of his church's annual lutefisk dinner, and finding volunteer EMTs is an ongoing problem for many of the EMS agencies that I work with (you really don't want a 70 year old volunteer EMT on one end of your gurney and a 75 year old volunteer on the other!).

I'm not sure what the problem is other than people's attention is on other things (working? staying home online?) but in volunteer circles it is a big concern (examples here, here, and here).  I know that people have to work hard for the money they earn and may be tired after a day of working and not want to get involved in anything they aren't getting paid for but there are a lot of good things about volunteering including good experience to put on your work resume, the opportunity to help those in need, getting some cool bonuses for volunteering (I volunteered for a couple of days at a genealogy conference then got to attend the rest of the conference for free), and the opportunity to learn new things (I started out learning web design for a non profit then used those skills to start my own business!).

Hopefully something will change and volunteerism will see a resurgence where more people come out and help those in need in their communities!