There are so many things to fear right now, and sheltering in place feels like a form of paralysis. We can observe strict hygiene, but most of us can’t work overtime in an intensive care unit, or help develop a vaccine in a biomedical lab.
No problem. There are many ways to help. Here are a few.
Volunteer
Yes, you still can. Food banks, for example, are considered essential services. Because so many typical volunteers are over 65 and have been ordered to stay home, now is the time to step up if you’re feeling healthy, under 65, and don’t have a chronic health problem.
San Francisco’s Food Runners, which transports excess perishable food from grocery stores, caterers, and restaurants to shelters and food programs, has already felt the love. Founder Mary Risley says they have recently signed up 100 new volunteers.
But nonprofits have to scramble. At Second Harvest, which operates out of the Mountain View Senior Center, roughly half the regular volunteers are over 65, site leader Janice Soderbergh estimates. “That is an issue. Last week I reached out on Nextdoor to see if I could recruit some new people,” she says. The first day, 16 new people showed up. “With school and work slowed down or canceled, people have time to help. It’s just a matter of getting the word out.”
Citizens have begun organizing grassroots donations, too. In the Haight, a bookstore owner and homeless advocacy groups organized a tent drive this week in response to the city’s “one person per tent” directive for unsheltered people as an attempt to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Call ahead or check websites to confirm. Not all services are using volunteers. As The Frisc reported Monday, Glide has decided that only core staff will serve three meals a day in the Tenderloin to protect both volunteers and “clients from what volunteers could possibly bring in,” a Glide spokesperson told The Frisc. There’s no plan to change the policy for now.
Spend
If your salary is unaffected by the pandemic, spend some of your money that otherwise would go to theaters, gym memberships, and other shuttered activities. Start with local businesses — namely restaurants. Many will not survive. But the more we help, the more might struggle through. There will be relief from the city, state, and federal governments. But time is of the essence.
(California has a “rainy day fund” of $19 billion, but the state has only just begun its emergency spending.)
If you’re not sure what’s still open, it’s best to call ahead. Eater SF has a running list. And at least one neighborhood merchant association is keeping tabs. (If your local association isn’t doing this, let them know that they should.)
If you can, grab take-out instead of using a delivery service, and put as much money as possible into the restaurant’s coffers.
Even better, order food for someone who can’t go out — an elderly parent or friend or neighbor, or someone with a chronic illness — and offer to be their delivery service.
If you shop at a grocery store, consider one that’s locally owned and has less margin for error. The big chains will do just fine. The little guys, whether they’re gourmet-fabulous or a nuts-and-bolts corner store, really need our help.
This isn’t just about restaurants. Hardware stores and other “essential service” businesses are still open. If you need a part to fix your sink or toilet, consider a locally owned hardware store, not a big box. (The widespread Ace Hardwares across the city are all independently owned, by the way.)
Be a healthcare help, not a statistic
You might not have medical skills, but your neighbors who have them will soon likely be on the front lines of this pandemic, working to save lives just like their peers in Europe, pushed to the brink, are doing right now.
‘We know childcare is a major concern. That may be one service friends and neighbors are able to offer.’
— Sean Wherley of healthcare workers union SEIU-UHW
Good samaritans have begun matching people who can venture outdoors with elderly folks and others who cannot. But we haven’t yet heard of anything similar to help healthcare workers. (If you know of a site, please let us know in the comments below.)
“We haven’t had time to organize amongst ourselves,” said Sarah Wells, secretary of the California Emergency Nurses Association. Wells is grateful for grassroots social media efforts to round up masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment amid the growing shortages. (Check out #GiveMePPE on Twitter.) Wells said her organization could also field via email requests for help — or offers to help.
Also in short supply: blood. Please donate if you can.https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/03/17/coronavirus-outbreak-us-faces-severe-blood-shortage-donations-plummet/5067055002/
San Francisco has set up emergency childcare for healthcare staff and other first responders, but they’re going to need a lot more. “We know childcare is a major concern,” said Sean Wherley, communications director for SEIU-UHW, a healthcare workers union. “That may be one service friends and neighbors are able to offer.”
Until there’s a good samaritan site to match people up, find those neighbors and ask them what you can do to help. Be a backup. Shopping? Dog walking? Helping kids with homework via Skype?
You can also help yourself. Get outside, exercise. It’s not verboten. Parks are still open. Bike, scoot, walk, or drive to your favorite open space. Or discover some new ones, like those we’ve highlighted in our “Get Out Now!” series.
That said, you really need to stay out of the hospital. Don’t be careless when you’re slicing bagels. Don’t text and drive (ever). And for goodness sakes, don’t put anything in your body that doesn’t belong. Let’s keep the healthcare system clear for coronavirus cases, which will be mounting in coming days and weeks.
That also means whatever you do to help, follow strict safety guidelines. Do not take them lightly. Wash the heck out of your hands, often. Stay six feet apart. Don’t cough or sneeze into your hands, or on someone else. And please, don’t assume that because you aren’t old, you aren’t susceptible. Or that, because you have no symptoms, you don’t have the virus. One reason COVID-19 has spread so fast, scientists believe, is because it is unusually contagious in asymptomatic carriers.
All that sounds scary, because it is. There’s no sense sweeping fears under the rug. But there’s also no sense in getting discouraged. We can all help in some small way.
Alex Lash is editor in chief of The Frisc.
