5 Neighborly Ways to Help During Quarentine

As overwhelmed as we might feel right now, many of us are also aware that the disruption to our lives seems small compared to what others are facing. Despite our own challenges, some are feeling a strong desire to help and serve others. Here are a few ways you can help the community.

1. Check on Your Neighbors

Now more than ever, there is a need to maintain person-to-person connection in any (safe) way that we can. Call or text your neighbors (especially elderly neighbors) to make sure they’re doing okay. Reed’s Crossing has a Next Door group you can join to connect. If you feel comfortable going out, consider knocking on the door of any elderly neighbors and chatting from a safe distance to offer a bit of comfort and reassurance. 

Ask if there is anything that they need (be it a carton of eggs or a roll of toilet paper). If you have what they’re looking for, offer to leave it outside their front door so that they can pick it up without coming in direct contact with you. You may also want to drop off a few packaged disinfectant wipes sealed in a Ziploc bag so they are able to wipe down the delivery. It sounds extreme, but this is actually a great (and safe) way to make sure that your more vulnerable neighbors have what they need.

2. Use Resources Wisely

According to Feeding America, each year 72 billion pounds of food goes to waste. A few simple ways to cut down on food waste include storing food in the proper place (and at the proper temperature), waiting to wash produce until you’re ready to use it (to avoid mold), freezing anything that you don’t expect to use in the near future (if freezing is possible), making a stock, composting, and of course, eating your leftovers.

3. Make a Donation

While many of us are busy hunkering down and pouring over the latest CDC recommendations, millions of nonprofit professionals all over the world are working to continue to deliver services and implement programs, uninterrupted. And that’s going to be really, really difficult. 

And so if you have the resources, consider making a donation to your favorite organization. Whether they’re on the front lines of the fight to quell the coronavirus, or their mission is entirely unrelated to the current crisis, your dollars will make a big difference.

4. Take care of yourself!

As you’ve no doubt head, secure your own oxygen mask before assisting others. In other words, self-care is incredibly important at a time like this, and ensuring that you’re making safe and smart choices is a civic duty of the utmost importance. So for some, doing your part will simply mean taking care of yourself. And that’s okay! In fact, it’s necessary.

5. Honor Those Working the Front Lines

We may not be able to do much right now, but we can certainly get a head start on finding ways to show our gratitude. Through smartly imposed Shelter in Place orders, at some point, the pandemic will subside and we'll be able to slowly get back to our lives. And once we're on the other side of this crisis, we're going to have a whole lot of people to thank. Grocery store cashiers, domestic workers, police officers and fire fighters, sanitation workers, delivery people, healthcare workers, teachers who taught our kids virtually – the list goes on. Take some time over the next days and weeks to consider how you might show your appreciation to even one of these people who help to keep your lives as normal as possible.

Looking for even more ways to be of service to your community? Check out our blog, 22 Ways to Lend a Helping Hand for local organizations that can use your help today.