The public has responded quickly by standing up charities, foundations, and GoFundMe pages to support our brothers and sisters in need. Here are just a few charities helping families and individuals in their time of need:
● A Better Chicago Emergency Relief Fund: to provide immediate and necessary funds to grantees and exceptional organizations serving low-income youth and families.
● Emergency Tipped and Service Worker Support Fund: providing cash assistance to restaurant workers, car service drivers, delivery workers, personal service workers and more who are in need.
● Feeding America: Every dollar given to this organization will be used to fund local food banks across the nation to offer increased support to families.
● First Book: Committed to deploying 7 millions books to students across America who lack resources to continue their education amidst school shutdowns. Donations support the purchase and dissemination of books to students in need.
● GoFundMe Covid-19 Relief Fund: For those who don’t know where their money is needed most, GoFundMe will distribute funds from its relief fund to the various (vetted) Covid-19 campaigns on its platform.
Shop Online
Across America, our favorite retailers have been forced to close their physical doors to limit the spread of the Coronavirus. However, most retailers–both large and small– have set up online shops to keep your favorite products coming and their businesses running. If a local store you love is closed, look for their online store to buy quarantine gifts for your friends or yourself.
And, as we mentioned before, if products are not yet available online, a gift card purchase can go a long way.
Shop Local
Even in cities where many businesses have closed, essential businesses like grocery stores and pharmacies remain open. Whenever possible, try to shop local for those essential items like food and medicine so that your local store owners can continue to serve your neighbors. It’s likely that the smaller grocery stores and pharmacies will have a bigger selection and small crowds, which these days is hard to find.