Happy Saturday everyone!

If you’re anything like me, you want to help others that have been effected by COVID-19 but you don’t know how to help. Well, I’ve compiled a few things you can do (mostly) from the comfort of your home.

Support Local Restaurants

A lot of restaurants have made the difficult decision to close it’s doors, if unable to switch to take-out only service, or temporarily lay-off their employees, if they only need enough employees for take-out service. One way to help your local restaurant during this time is to order take-out or delivery. The other way to help is to buy gift cards from their website. By purchasing food or a gift card, you are helping them to keep their business and their employees afloat for a little while longer.

Give the Gift of Coffee

When thinking of individuals on the front line of this pandemic, we automatically think of the doctors and nurses. But what about the police officers, the EMTs, Postal Service workers and other delivery workers, and retail store employees? Their days could be longer than it was before COVID-19 and they risk coming into contact with symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals everyday. While coffee may not prevent them from being infected, it can let them know that people appreciate all that they do (especially now). *Technically you might have to leave the house, so you can send digital gift cards to people you know that are still working.

Help Restock Your Local Food Bank

Over 3.3 million people filed for unemployment last week in America. This amount is 5x the amount of people that filed for unemployment during the worst week of the Great Depression! With so many people being temporarily laid off from their jobs, local Food Banks have been struggling to keep up with all of the increased demand. If you have the means and want to help, I would suggest contacting your local Food Bank to see how you can help and what items they need. And if you’re uncomfortable going into the grocery stores, opt for the curb-side pickup, then drop the bags off at your Food Bank.

Write Notes of Encouragement

Restrictions on visitors at hospitals and senior citizen centers can create environments where they feel isolated and neglected. To help combat loneliness from creeping through the minds of those in hospitals and senior citizen centers, you can write letters to them. If you don’t know what to say, you can draw them pictures or write them a short story or talk about what’s going on in the world other than COVID-19. Get the whole family involved and then drop them off (or mail them off).

Donate to Reputable Organizations

There are various national organizations that are seeking donations to help different demographic groups during this time. For example, the No Kid Hungry organization is working with local communities to provide food for students who relied on school meals. The Salvation Army is working with local, state, and Federal agencies to give vulnerable populations care, hygiene, and medical resources. The Red Cross is experiencing severe blood shortages since they had to cancel many of their blood drives, so they are seeking healthy individuals to donate blood. Finally, you can also find a person or organization to donate to on GoFundMe.com.

Pray

Maybe you have been effected by COVID-19 and don’t have the monetary resources to buy groceries for or to donate to others…then you can always pray. And maybe you’ve never prayed before or don’t consider yourself a “religious” person, but all you have to do is talk to God about what you’re feeling and what you want for others. For example, you can pray, “Dear God, I don’t understand why many people are dying or know when all of this will be over. However, You are Sovereign over all things and You are more powerful than a virus. Please give doctors the wisdom to find a cure and give direction to our leaders.” If you or other people you know are effected by COVID-19, you can pray for His healing power and provision, especially during this time.

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I hope that this list gives you ideas on how you can help others during this pandemic. While this list mentions ways to help locally or nationally, you can also help your neighbors who may be struggling or the employees who got laid off from your favorite local restaurant. Like my pastor says, if you see a need, fill it.

If you have any additional ways people can help, feel free to comment below. Thank you as always for reading, and I pray for the health and protection for you and your family. By faith and through coming together, we will get through this.

Love,

Britt ♥

“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

2 Corinthians 1:4