How can we serve others in the time of covid?

[DarkLight]

As the title says. I’ve thought I ought to be getting more involved in volunteer work or some way of materially helping others. But everything is shut down now. Of course we can donate and pray, but is there anything hands on to do? Any ideas?

 

[Elf01]

As the title says. I’ve thought I ought to be getting more involved in volunteer work or some way of materially helping others. But everything is shut down now. Of course we can donate and pray, but is there anything hands on to do? Any ideas?

Go grocery shopping for the most vulnerable.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Do something to help the people who are out of work and thus short on money for food and such. Lots of people have lost their livelihood or had it greatly reduced.

 

[stpurl]

Try to shop local (especially with the holidays coming up) more than ever. Lots of communities are scaling down things or having to rethink them, so look at your town’s local website or check at the local schools, churches, senior centers, hospitals. If you have good handwriting or a good printer, you could probably find people to send regular cards and letters to. With so many seniors now living alone or semi-isolated it means a lot to get ‘real mail’. And with COVID hitting senior centers and assisted living people aren’t able to see family and friends.

 

[DarkLight]

That would be making the problem worse, not attacking the root.

A coworker lost his family to this disease. Don’t insult me by this sort of callous disregard for human life. Not when it’s a real risk to people we care about that we can’t get rid of because people won’t follow basic rules.

 

[DarkLight]

Do something to help the people who are out of work and thus short on money for food and such. Lots of people have lost their livelihood or had it greatly reduced.

I think the question at this point is what counts as “doing something” past giving money. I’m already giving what I can.

 

[DarkLight]

I’m trying to get more “hands on”, so to speak. I know about giving and praying, but what practically can we do with our time to help past that?

 

[Tis_Bearself]

You could contact the local food banks, soup kitchens, shelters etc to see if they have any volunteer opportunities. You really need to contact the individual organizations to see if they need help and if so what.

I’m not sure if any parishes in your areas have programs, but some of them here have programs where people can help out with gathering and distributing food, or with making casseroles for the elderly.

 

[Montrose]

As the title says. I’ve thought I ought to be getting more involved in volunteer work or some way of materially helping others. But everything is shut down now. Of course we can donate and pray, but is there anything hands on to do? Any ideas?

First way is to wear a mask and social distance. Doing volunteer work would be meaningless unless you take the safety measures prescribed by the experts otherwise you could potentially spread the virus to the more vulnerable.

 

[aroosi]

Reach out to people that are isolated pr struggling because of the pandemic. Call an elderly relative, a single friend, somebody that is in quarantine, lost a job etc. In this pandemic many people are feeling hopeless and depressed and there is a need for contact and friendship.
You already mentioned in your initial post praying and giving.
Food banks are overwhelmed with new clients lately.

 

[DarkLight]

First way is to wear a mask and social distance. Doing volunteer work would be meaningless unless you take the safety measures prescribed by the experts otherwise you could potentially spread the virus to the more vulnerable.

Well yes. I forgot that I need to mention that here. I’m fully remote work and live alone so I’m probably about as safe as you can get a person to be in the current situation. And since I live alone there’s no one I’d be worrying about bringing the virus back to.

 

[Jen7]

I have been trying to be a carrier of kindness - waving hi to walkers while I drive, baking cookies for my friends and leaving them on their porch, when I’m shopping I leave time to get in a long conversation with someone who is lonely. Emotional giving. So many people have so little emotionally right now.

 

[Rozellelily]

Is there are a way you could help the elderly in nursing homes to not feel alone?
It is sort of hard, because in my country the government isolated them in nursing homes, but on the other hand the elderly often don’t know how to use ipads and computers etc, so it is hard to give them company via the internet.

Perhaps this is too unrealistic but could you set up a fundraiser for companies to donate and raise money to buy the elderly in nursing homes ipads so that they can keep in contact with their family? Perhaps a nurse at the homes can teach them how to use them…

 

[Socrates92]

A coworker lost his family to this disease.

I’m very sorry to hear that.

Don’t insult me by this sort of callous disregard for human life. Not when it’s a real risk to people we care about that we can’t get rid of because people won’t follow basic rules.

I insulted no one. Your implication that opening up poses an imminent and grave risk to human life when the Costco down the street has been deemed perfectly safe is absurd. The far greater harm is being caused by the discriminatory lockdown measures at this point. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and not accuse you of having a callous disregard for human life. The fact that politicians are refusing to acknowledge and properly weigh the side-effects of their policies demonstrates that they are unfit for office, their mandates have no moral weight, and they should be openly defied at this point. Adam Skelly is a man of courage who did just that, and I will continue to unapologetically defend and support him and others like him to the maximum of my ability and encourage everyone I interact with to do the same.

Here is a good resource if you are interested on getting more informed: The Price of Panic

Note to mods: just in case you are tempted to ding me on the grounds of encouraging illegal action, I will point out that the actual legality of the lockdown measures has yet to be settled in court, and is as yet not conclusively decided.

 

[Servant31]

I’m in a parish group that asked around and found out that the local pregnancy resource center needed some things. We did a diaper drive and it was a huge success. Also accepted cash donations using a square.

I don’t know if they did it (I am in school and couldn’t make it ) but set up a table on the street with balloons and sign “diaper drive cash donations accepted”. That way random passers by could donate as well.

So I think if we get a bit creative there are plenty of options.

 

[DarkLight]

You insult me by suggesting that I donate to a group that would dare throw away lives like this. And by implying that the fact that people have to buy food means that costco and such have been deemed “perfectly safe” - they haven’t been, merely that we don’t have a better option unless we can somehow arrange food delivery for every single option. That’s why there’s still mask mandates, distanced lines, and capacity maximums, so as to limit the risk as much as possible.

I’m all for finding other solutions to the problems you mention, but simply indiscriminately acting like we can just open up and not generate even more problems is simply foolish. The problem is the lockdowns keep having to be extended because everyone that decides to defy them makes them less effective. We could be over the need by now if people hadn’t decided to try to get out of them from the beginning.

 

[DarkLight]

That’s a god point. Part of what’s hard is that I don’t know the area because I moved in right before COVID hit. So I don’t know what’s around much

 

[OddBird]

on the other hand the elderly often don’t know how to use ipads and computers etc,

In my experience iPads don’t really work in nursing homes. For one, elderly people are often lost and confused with them and don’t always realise they can dialogue with the image on the screen. Another problem is that, unless every single resident has their own, they have to be sanitized before being brought to somebody else, and that’s an unwelcome surplus of work for the staff who is generally spread thin already.

I don’t mean to be a downer, but there isn’t much that can be done for nursing homes right now, and that drives me crazy.

@DarkLight, around here we have volunteers doing grocery shopping for vulnerable people. Maybe something like that exists where you are too? (Sanitary measures have to be respected, and the groceries are left at the door so as not getting into contact.)

 

[po18guy]

Have you had Covid? If do, your antibodies prevent you from contracting it and passing it on. Thus, you could (potentially) serve about anywhere.