5 Ways to Stay (Civically) Active During COVID-19
If you haven’t figured out that we’re all about concreteactions for a better world—you might want to go back and listen a little moreclosely to our interviews. You can find all of them over on our episodes page! (Hint hint.)
If you’re like us, quarantine is hard because we’re supposedto stay home, avoid interaction, and generally avoid engaging with society.Luckily, there are still ways to remain engaged indoors and to help our fellowcitizens who are less fortunate than we are. To that end, we’ve compiled a fewideas of ways to stay civically active during the pandemic.
Give Money: We touched on the importanceof giving cash directly to those in need a few weeks ago. During one of our COVID19episodes, we talked with poverty advocates and the managing director of GiveDirectly, a non-profit that simplygives liquid cash to those who need it most. You can also check out the blogpost we wrote about it. Additionally, food banks like FeedingAmerica can provide multiple meals for just $1, so if you’re still workingduring this time, consider sharing the wealth. If your area has been sparedwith worst of COVID19, consider donating to the NYCchapter;they’re in desperate need. Chef José Andrés and his organization World Central Kitchen are also running an amazingCOVID19 response program, and you can check out his informative talk with (formerFuture Hindsight guest) Beto O’Rourkefor more info.
If you’re unsure of where you want todonate, check out CharityNavigator’shandy guide to COVID giving.
Donate Blood: COVID19 is creatingshortages of many medical commodities, includingblood. If you can, consider donating blood—the Red Cross needs it badly. Morespecifically, if you’ve suffered and recovered from COVID19, they needyour plasma. Your post-COVID plasma contains antibodies that attack thevirus. It’s currently in the evaluation stages, but to continue testing, theyneed a supply of the antibodies.
Make/Donate Medical Supplies: If you’requarantining correctly, you’ve probably got a fair amount of free time on yourhands, so why not use them to make something potentially lifesaving? Allhospitals are taking protectiveequipment donations, and some are even taking homemade masks. You can learnhow to make them here.Although cloth masks aren’t as effective as professionally-made ones, one thingyou can do is make a cloth mask for yourself, and donate any medical-grademasks you may have to nurses and doctors. If you’ve got a 3D-printer, you can printface shields, which hospitals do need.
Volunteer: Many non-profits are sufferingfrom a paucity of human resources thanks to this crisis. Food banks and otheressential services are finding ways to keep their doors open and theirvolunteers safe—so find your area pantry and see if there’s anything you cando. Meals on Wheels programs across the country need volunteers to delivermeals to the elderly. You can sign up to volunteer here. If youdon’t want to go outside (we get it), consider donating your skills.Organizations need grant-writers, hotline operators, coders, and a myriad ofother jobs you can do from the comfort of your couch. If you usually donate tocharity or know someone who works for one, reach out and see what you can do!You can also check out VolunteerMatchfor some more ideas.
Reach Out: This one is a little morenebulous, but being there for people in your life is more important than ever.If your neighbor or friend works in the healthcare industry, consider cookingsome meals for them or offering to watch their kids for free. If you live near elderlyAmericans, consider grocery shopping for them or giving them meals. They mayalso need small things like yard work or house maintenance contractors usuallydo. Helping those around you can also take some of the load off non-profits andother support networks, allowing them to focus on those most critically inneed. Additionally, many seniors are locked down in retirement homes withoutvisitors, but they would love to hear from you via FaceTime. Even if you don’thave a loved one in a situation like this, you can send letters via Love for the Elderly, or find a localhome and ask what you can do to help
Many of us may be stuck inside, but we aren’t helpless. Wecan help those working on the frontlines to speed up our return to normalcy bychanneling our compassion and staying engaged in our society. We are all inthis together, and so we might as well act like it.
WORKS CITED:
“Beto O'Rourke.” Future Hindsight, www.futurehindsight.com/episode/beto-orourke/.
Brewster, Signe. “How to 3D Print a Coronavirus Face Shield.” Wirecutter, Wirecutter, 6 Apr. 2020, thewirecutter.com/blog/3d-printer-coronavirus-face-shield/.
“Combating Extreme Poverty During COVID-19.” Future Hindsight, 12 Apr. 2020, www.futurehindsight.com/combating-extreme-poverty-during-covid-19/.
“Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).” Charity Navigator, 16 Apr. 2020, www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=7779.
“COVID-19 Response Fund.” Donate to Feeding America - Feeding America, secure.feedingamerica.org/site/Donation2?28371.donation=form1&df_id=28371&mfc_pref=T&s_onsite_promo=take_action&s_src=Y20XG3F1Y&s_keyword=food%2520donation&s_subsrc=c.
“COVID-19 Special Edition.” Future Hindsight, www.futurehindsight.com/episode/covid-19-special-edition/.
“Episodes.” FutureHindsight, www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/.
“Food Bank For New York City.” Feeding America, www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank/food-bank-for-new-york-city.
Giordano, Medea. “How to Make a CDC-Approved Cloth Face Mask.” Wired, Conde Nast, www.wired.com/story/how-to-make-a-cloth-face-mask/.
“Help with COVID-19 (Coronavirus) by Volunteering Remotely or On-Site.” VolunteerMatch, www.volunteermatch.org/covid19.
“Home Page.” Give Blood, www.redcrossblood.org/.
“Love for the Elderly.” Love for the Elderly, lovefortheelderly.org/.
Ma, Michelle. “How You Can Donate Protective Equipment to Help Hospitals Fight Coronavirus.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 3 Apr. 2020, www.wsj.com/articles/how-you-can-donate-protective-equipment-to-help-hospitals-fight-coronavirus-11585323638.
“Now Responding to Covid-19.” GiveDirectly, www.givedirectly.org/.
“Plasma Donations fromRecovered COVID-19 Patients.” Give Blood, www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/plasma-donations-from-recovered-covid-19-patients.html.
“World Central Kitchen.” World Central Kitchen, wck.org/.
Yu, Alan. “How COVID-19 Led to a Blood Shortage, and Why That's Troubling.” WHYY, WHYY, 1 May 2020, whyy.org/articles/how-covid-19-led-to-a-blood-shortage-and-why-thats-troubling/.