Ways to Give Back during COVID19 Crisis and beyond

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

― Charles Dickens

I was hoping that you don’t breeze by this post thinking you don’t have time to help or that it makes you more stressed out to think about helping others, but we need more of this than ever before right now – we need to remind each other of humanity and the goodness in people and we need to help others. And others NEED our help.

And, if you want another perspective,  if you want a foolproof way to feel better – a natural anti-depressant of sorts!?  Hear me out…Do something to help someone else today!

In this strange time we are living in, it is easy to get wrapped up in the responsibilities of home and think only about ourselves at this time, yet anxiety is at an all-time high for many and one of the best ways to reduce stress and find joy is by serving others!

As we lose ourselves in the service of others, we discover our own lives and our own happiness! 

Here are a few ways you can serve during this strange time of the coronavirus – especially for those who are still in partial Stay at Home orders like us in California – but also these can be ways to serve at any time!  If you have other ideas I would love to see them in the comments and might even add them to this blog post or future post!

Ways to Serve and Support those Impacted by COVID

HELP WITH MASKS – Donate fabric for masks for Healthcare workers – look here for where you can donate nationwide – find a local facebook group or ask around –  Utah has this one, https://stitchingheartsww.org/ a local one for us is https://www.facebook.com/groups/TeamCoronaBusters/

WRITE LETTERS – Write letters to seniors in care centers that aren’t able to have visitors right now – the Seniors are LONELY and sending letters or drawings can really help lift spirits – recruit your kids to help too!

SUPPORT LOCAL NEEDS – Volunteer at a food pantry if you are not at risk or donate food or supplies such as diapers and wipes to local nonprofits – there are still many in need with job losses in many industries.  Google one in your area – one we have locally that you can volunteer or donate to is Project Understanding in Ventura – http://www.projectunderstanding.org/food-pantry/ or donate supplies to Los Angeles House of Ruth from their Wish List!

BE A HELPING HAND – Check-in with neighbors or those who live by themselves and see if you can help them in any way. For example, next time you go to the store check-in and see if there is something they need.

DONATE BLOOD – there is a blood shortage right now as Blood supply centers rely on many Blood Drives on College campuses and the centers are limited to the number of donations that can be made a day, so your blood donation can help save lives at https://blood4life.org/

SIGN UP for the Bone Marrow Registry – you could save a life with this too just takes a few minutes to sign up!  https://golovebe.com/bethematch/

Ways to Give Back – Donation Style

There are so many ways your discarded goods can help others thrive! These are great ways to get other involved or service project ideas for youth groups or Scout troops as well.

DONATE CRAYONS – Collect old crayons and donate them to The Crayon Initiative. More than a half-million pounds of crayons are discarded every year, turning into a waxy sludge that clogs our landfills and never biodegrades. Instead, donate them to the Crayon Initiative who melts them down and make new ones then donate the crayons to art programs in children’s hospitals across the United States brightening the lives of young patients during their stay. Take the next step:  Ask your neighbors to help and bring all their broken crayons by putting a box on your front steps to collect them! And take heart, knowing that your crayon donation will soon brighten the day of a child in need of a pick-me-up.

COLLECT POPTOPS – Collect Poptops to raise money for Ronald McDonald House. Also, a great box collection for your neighborhood! They also accept toys and some other household items. Google the one nearest you to see if they take them.

DONATE EYEGLASSES – Do you have old eyeglasses?  Donate them to someone in need as they can take old frames and reuse them for some of the 1.3 billion people around the world who need vision help.  Take the next step:  You can drop off gently used prescription glasses at a LensCrafters, Sears Optical or Pearle Vision near you. All three stores partner with OneSight, which will deliver the glasses to a nonprofit that accepts and distributes used glasses globally. Many local Lions club also collect glasses. Check with local programs to see if status has changed during COVID.

CREATE A JARED BOX – Get the family together and create a Jared Box – What is it?  A Jared Box is a plastic shoe-sized storage box filled with small gifts, toys, games, crayons, coloring books, and fun activities. The boxes are given to children in the hospital to provide a special, fun diversion and symbolize the importance of play and are filled with well wishes, hope and love. You may not be able to donate them to hospitals right now but you can make them and get them ready or see if they will be accepted  You can also use their hospital directory to locate a children’s hospital near you to send cards and well wishes to patients that cannot have visitors right now.

SEW HEARTS – Sew some Inspirational Hearts for preemies. The mother wears the heart against her skin, so it absorbs her scent. Then they can place the heart with the baby when they can’t be together. Check out the website for easy instructions for the Heart Pattern and where to send your completed hearts.

DONATE CLOTHES AND HOUSEHOLD ITEMS – www.givebackbox.com – As many of us have used our extra time to clean and declutter and have piles waiting for Goodwill to reopen, this is a great alternative!  You can ship gently used clothing, shoes and other household items – old legos! – in a box with a free shipping label!  You can print the label directly from the website and the Post Man/Woman will even pick it up at your door, so you don’t have to wait for Goodwill to reopen to make those donations!  How much easier could it be?  TIP: If you have a lot of items to donate and need a big box – or are in need of building a cardboard spaceship for your kids – order bulk toilet paper or paper towels on Amazon.  Not only do you get your box, but you won’t have to make a trip to the store and you usually can save money too! 

DONATE TO RECENT DISASTERS With the recent fires and many more people who have lost their homes and livelihood, their need is higher than ever. There are all sorts of great charities that are helping with these efforts. You can find local ones at www.facebook.com/crisisresponse or  www.justserve.org or many states have created their own websites to help you find volunteer opportunities – like California’s volunteer website here – so google in your state too!

THANK YOU FOR GIVING BACK – Please share these ideas with friends and family to multiply your impact!

Email me at larissa@golovebe.com any thoughts or feedback or more great ideas to add here to help change the world one small step at a time!