162 Ways to Help During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Do your best not to get SARS-CoV-2 and pass it to others. Support essentials workers. Help the affected and vulnerable. We are all in this together.

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1. Spend most of your free time at home, regardless if you feel sick or not.
2. Donate blood to your local blood bank or to the nearest American Red Cross.
3. Wear a face mask when people are nearby. Ensure a snug fit. For men, shaving facial hair helps form a tighter seal.
4. Do not touch your nose, mouth, and eyes. If you must, make sure you thoroughly wash your hands first.
5. If you cannot avoid possibly contaminated areas, use masks, gloves and glasses.
6. When outside, stay at least 6 feet away from people outside your household.
7. Post a ‘Thank You Essential Workers’ sign on your front yard or car window.
8. Create a ‘Thank You Essential Workers’ video and post on social media.
9. Honk and wave if you pass healthcare workers while driving.
10. Send handwritten letters of encouragement to nursing home residents.
11. Wash your hands thoroughly. Imagine you are removing grease off your hands.
12. Schedule your grocery shopping at most once a week and during off peak hours.
13. When shopping, only touch items that you intend to buy.
14. Use mail-order prescriptions or drive thru pickups.
15. If you need to wait, wait inside your car instead of inside the building.
16. Delay routine, non-critical, medical and dental appointments.
17. Run important errands for your neighbors - old folks and those with underlying conditions.
18. If you go grocery shopping, prepare a list and stick to it. Don’t hang out in the store.
19. Avoid touching public surfaces. If that’s not an option, use disinfectant wipes before and after touching.
20. If you have extra supplies that are in demand, donate it to essential workers.
21. Send posters of encouragement to hospitals.
22. Order pizza delivery for you local hospital.
23. Order roses in the grocery store. Give a rose to every store employee.
24. Use a credit card instead of cash whenever possible. Disinfect the card after each use.
25. Regularly use disinfectant wipes on high-touch areas, like desks, door knobs, switches, handles, keyboards, remote controls, toilets, sinks.
26. Use hand sanitizer when you cannot wash your hands.
27. Donate to the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund.
28. Reach out to friends and family you haven’t been in contact for a while. Ask how they are coping.
29. Donate to the Direct Relief for COVID-19.
30. Forget about race, religion, politics. This is all of us vs SARS-CoV-2.
31. Comfort someone who has lost a job. Validate the worry about making rent, the questions about the future.
32. Comfort someone who is grieving. Tell them you are only a phone call away.
33. Order pizza for a family who is currently struggling.
34. Be generous when tipping food, delivery and custodial workers. Top it off with a sincere thank you.
35. If possible, pickup your elderly parents and take care of them at home for the short near term.
36. Send flowers, fruits, or letters to your local nursing home.
37. Avoid public transportation. If you really need to, wear a mask and refrain from touching the vehicle as you walk to your seat.
38. Wave to bus and truck drivers when you see them driving around town.
39. See a ‘Tell Us How We Are Doing’ number for essential workers? Call and express how much they are appreciated.
40. Call you favorite local food places and buy a gift card. If you wish to donate, just don’t use the gift card.
41. Skip Groupon. Pay full price to help struggling restaurants.
42. Add your favorite local businesses to Help Main Street.
43. Donate to the GoFundMe.org Small Business Relief Fund.
44. Buy local business eGift cards using Square Give&Get Local.
45. Go grocery shopping or other errands for your essential worker friends.
46. Unless it’s an emergency, call before showing up to any medical facility.
47. Exercise and eat good food. Keep the whole family healthy to lessen the load on hospitals.
48. Do not take COVID-19 medication without approval from your doctor.
49. For the meantime, don’t shake hands, hug people or share personal items.
50. Calm your fears. This is the time to help each other.
51. When outside, look for opportunities to use your feet, elbows, knuckles and other body parts, instead of your hands and fingers.
52. Wrap the sleeve of your sweater or jacket around the handle of doors you have to physically pull open. Use handicap door push buttons if available.
53. Don’t go into crowded areas, specially areas with poor ventilation.
54. Forego the handshake. Smile, nod, or wave instead.
55. Think of others and buy only what you need. Don’t hoard food as there is enough for everyone.
56. Consume alcohol in moderation. Binge drinking can lower your immune system.
57. Get enough sleep. Sleep bolsters your immune system.
58. Only share information from major health organizations. If the information is from the media, make sure there is consensus.
59. Self-quarantine if you are showing symptoms. Avoid sharing towels, bedding, glasses, plates and silverware.
60. Clean shopping carts with disinfectant wipes before using them.
61. Forego the elevator and use the stairs.
62. Don’t use your phone if your hands might get contaminated. If you must, make sure you disinfect your phone after.
63. Donate food or money to your local food bank. Visit Feeding America for more information.
64. Donate or volunteer to Meals on Wheels.
65. If you are technologically savvy, offer to help a friend or neighbor. Be their tech support.
66. Wash your kitchen hand towels after two days of use.
67. Go outside and get some Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps keep your immune system healthy.
68. Get a flu shot in the fall. Coinfections is something we can help prevent.
69. Relax. People with heart disease or high blood pressure may be more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, and likely to develop more severe symptoms.
70. Always bring a pen with you in case you need to sign something. You can even use the non-writing end as a stylus in some cases.
71. Attend community or religious services online. Many live services are recorded so you can even attend on demand.
72. Reschedule your vacations plans, specially cruises, until the pandemic is over.
73. Call or FaceTime loved ones who don’t live with you. Forego in person visits.
74. Check if you can assist with COVID-19 clinical trials. Visit clinicaltrials.gov for more information.
75. Properly dispose of your trash, especially if you are not feeling well. Ensure that bins and bags are closed and sealed properly.
76. If you are sick or caring for someone who is, make sure all personal waste are double bagged and securely tied.
77. Carefully dispose of personal hygiene products, used tissues, sanitary wipes, face masks, gloves and similar items in garbage bags, and not loosely placed in the roll-out bins.
78. Regularly disinfect commonly touched items outside your home, like door knobs, manual garage doors, mailboxes, trash bin handles and lids.
79. Waste that could possibly be contaminated should be double-bagged. Separate it from other waste for a few days before placing in external waste bins.
80. Disinfect the soles of your shoes and avoid wearing them indoors. SARS-CoV-2 can live on the soles of shoes.
81. Wave and smile to people cleaning our houses, communities and medical facilities.
82. Open your windows to increase air circulation.
83. Don’t shake possibly contaminated laundry and linen.
84. Launder items in the warmest appropriate water setting.
85. Clean and disinfect hampers and laundry carts.
86. Place a small table in the front porch so food delivery workers know where they can leave your orders.
87. Use contactless delivery whenever possible. Pay ahead of time, including the tip.
88. Pay your bills by mail, online or through drop boxes.
89. Follow government and business guidelines and signage. Special rules are being put in place during these unprecedented times.
90. Many businesses are short handed, so don’t be surprised if there are longer wait times.
91. Roll up your sleeves. It will be easier to wash your hands, and reduces the chances your sleeves will get contaminated.
92. Refrain from wearing ties. They are hard to control and clean.
93. Leave wristwatches and bracelets at home. It will be easier to perform good hand hygiene.
94. Take a shower and change your clothes after going outside.
95. Use disposable cleaning materials when cleaning possibly contaminated areas.
96. When you need to hand over an item to another person, leave the item on the table or floor, for the other person to pick it up. Don’t do a direct hand over.
97. Refrain from passing identification cards. You can show the card at arms length, or take a picture for processing.
98. Don’t touch shared items like magazines, pens, kiosks, water fountains, fitness equipment.
99. If you already take vitamins that help boost your immune system, make sure you take them regularly.
100. If you know someone going through difficult times, let them know you are there for them, and ask if there’s something you can do to help.
101. Call your local senior center and ask how you can help during this crisis.
102. Use in-store or curbside pickup if your store allows it.
103. Move away from people if you are coughing or feel like sneezing. Cover your mouth and nose with your elbows. Dispose of tissues properly to minimize infecting others.
104. Donate to the National Bail Fund Network . Unconvicted people can be in jail just because they cannot afford bail.
105. Leave a gift card for your postal worker in your mail box.
106. Skip the post office. You can buy stamps, hold mail, change address, schedule package pickup, all online. If you need to go, prepare all documentation before hand.
107. Refrain from sending non-critical mail and packages to COVID-19 hot spots. Limit delivery worker exposure.
108. Defer non-essential online orders if you can. To patronize businesses, buy gift cards instead.
109. If you have rental properties and have enough cash reserves, give your affected tenants a rental discount.
110. Unless you are an essential worker, avoid healthcare facilities, nursing homes, funeral homes, quarantine zones, and densely packed areas.
111. Avoid wearing contact lenses due to the likelihood of touching your eyes. Use glasses instead.
112. If you are in a public place, avoid putting your bag on the floor.
113. Temporarily suspend carpooling, assuming others have safer modes of transportation.
114. Take regular breaks and get enough rest. Tired individuals are more likely to make mistakes with their hygiene regime.
115. Do not reuse masks if there’s possible contamination, or when it becomes damp.
116. Avoid touching your face mask, and remove it only through the straps.
117. Avoid public phone charging stations. Bring your own portable battery chargers.
118. Use face masks from reputable brands. Be aware of low quality or counterfeit products.
119. When outside with other people nearby, smile more and talk less.
120. If you must travel, purchase refundable tickets and get travel insurance.
121. Self-isolate if you are returning from a location with a high infection rate.
122. Use waterproof shoes if you have a pair. They are easier to wash and clean.
123. Keep a journal of people you come into close proximity with. This will help with contact tracing should you start showing symptoms.
124. Do not flush disinfecting wipes, even if a product says flushable on the label. Only toilet paper is designed to break down in the wastewater system.
125. Expect delays in essential operations like public works in case they limit one employee per vehicle or have staggered shifts.
126. Skip face to face conversations. Communicate with businesses via phone, email, website, or social media.
127. Share ‘My Hero is You: How Kids Can Fight COVID-19’ to help children understand how to stay safe and address fears associated with the pandemic.
128. Check in with seniors or those with underlying health issues, and offer to walk their dogs.
129. Check out CNN’s “A guide to helping and getting help during the coronavirus crisis”.
130. If you have a friend who is struggling financially, set up a money pool among common friends, then donate the money collected.
131. Visit your official COVID-19 state website for local coronavirus-related information and resources.
132. If you know someone struggling with their mortgage or rent, share with them mortgage and rental assistance information.
133. Get familiar with the CARES Act so you can pass the correct information to those who need assistance.
134. Reschedule non-essential in-home services and appointments.
135. Organize a car parade to celebrate an important event.
136. Donate to your Local United Way, and help support those impacted in your community.
137. Tell people looking for COVID-19 assistance to call 211.
138. Carry extra tissues and disinfecting wipes. Dispose of them properly after use.
139. Change your Amazon Smile charity to an organization that provides COVID-19 assistance.
140. Spend your free time doing online volunteer work. Join organizations like Translators without Borders, 7 Cups, Crisis Text Line, Be My Eyes, Career Village, Learn to Be, Project Gutenberg, Librivox, and Project Implicit.
141. If you personally know someone who died from pandemic, plant a tree in their memory.
142. Don’t share equipment, tools, and furniture at work.
143. Donate to the WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
144. Avoid the water cooler area at work. Bring your own water and use and online group chat instead.
145. Tip local service industry workers at serviceindustry.tips.
146. If you have items brought into your home that you are not easy to disinfect, set them aside for a week or two.
147. Wash or disinfect reusable grocery bags after each use. You can also go back to disposable plastic bags, for now.
148. Don’t throw a big party or hit the bars just yet. Plan meetups outside while maintaining a safe distance the whole time.
149. When a delivery person drops something off, give them a warm thank you through closed doors. Open the door and wave once they are a safe distance away.
150. Prefer restaurants with outside dining.
151. Don’t use your phone if you have to touch public surfaces.
152. Keep your phone in your pocket or purse, and don’t put them down a public surface.
153. Regularly disinfect your soap dispenser at home, or consider buying a battery operated touchless dispenser.
154. Unfortunately, there are people who will take advantage of the current situation. Remain vigilant and keep your local community informed of suspicious activities.
155. Be an advocate for essential farmworkers who need access to better and safer working conditions.
156. Have easy access to hand sanitizer where you work, so it require little effort to keep your hands sanitized.
157. Use a fresh glove or store supplied produce plastic bag when sorting through produce.
158. Waste not, want not. Reduce food waste. Eat leftovers. Buy ugly but healthy fruits.
159. Keep your computers up to date with the latest virus protection and be wary of scams and phishing emails. The crisis and the higher levels of remote access makes us more susceptible to social engineering.
160. Use alcohol based hand sanitizers with at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol.
161. Use high-efficiency air filters in your home.
162. Share this list to you friends, family and followers.