With the overwhelmingly bad news floating around, it’s easy to want to counteract that and get inspired to do something good in the world. What can you do if you’re practicing social distancing at home, however? There’s actually a variety of opportunities for virtual or home-based volunteering. Here’s how you can get involved:
Help the Red Cross
Check out their website for remote opportunities. Oftentimes, they’re looking for digital volunteers who can monitor online conversations and manage their social media interactions and updates.
Foster Animals
While many rescue organizations have paused in-person volunteering, there are plenty of shelters that need people to foster these animals as they wait to get adopted. This is a perfect opportunity to take all that home time and put it to good use by caring for a furry friend.
Make and Donate Masks
Healthcare workers are running low on masks, which are necessary to protect them against COVID-19 as they work hard to save the lives of those impacted. If you have some sewing skills, you can cut up some new, 100-percent cotton sheets or t-shirts and make some masks. All you need is the fabric, a sewing machine and some elastic. Check with your local craft stores as they may be supplying the fabric and elastic for free and can provide insight into locations that are accepting mask donations.
Share Your Skills
You can provide free education online. Take your skills and share them with those who are interested in learning something new. Therapists and teachers are already offering these services, for example, so if you have something valuable to share, make some videos or go live on social. You can even schedule one-on-ones if time permits.
Go to Volunteermatch.org/covid19
If you want to help out with COVID-19 efforts specifically, visit this website, which features virtual ways to aid communities impacted by the virus. There, you’ll find everything from requests for video production to digital literacy support.
We can all come together to do good, even in a time when we’re isolated in our homes.
