Photographers are volunteering their services to stop at your house and for a donation (I think here locally $5 is asked but many are giving more) taking a pic of your family on your front porch. It’s quick, social distancing, and the photographer can then email/text the photo to the family easily. The $$$ are then donated to a local charity - here locally they are donating largely to our United Way who is doing SO much providing of food needs - especially for children.
The family then has a photograph to remember this time in our lives.
We have two different neighbors that are both single parents. The girls are 4 and 5. Each of the parents have lost their jobs and missed getting unemployment last week, even though they thought they were signed up.
So, we are putting together Easter baskets for each of the girls. We hope to also put in some TP, dish soap, and other household needs.
We have a business that has been shut down. Most of the people who work for us are independent contractors who get paid by the outing. They may be able to get a little from the Paycheck Protection program (we can’t collect it for them) but they can’t get unemployment and many of them are really hurting. We’ve started sending weekly checks to tide them over. My husband got an email from one whose second job is as a waiter, who said her landlord agreed not to evict her after seeing the email. Another said his wife cried when she got our notification. I don’t know whether to be happy or sad about this. So many people in pain and it seems impossible to do enough.
Oh my gosh, I love the idea of putting together “easter baskets” or “spring baskets” for people in your neighborhood of ALL ages! Good use for any old baskets or containers you have around the house and could manage to get rid of.
Sort of like the May Day flowers on the porch. LOVE.
Every night my kid , who lives across the country, sends a video of her downtown highrise neighborhood, at 8pm, cheering from their balconies, flashing indoor lights, while those in their cars honk. It is a vast urban landscape with thousands participating. The cheering is louder than a football game. It gives me shivers.
My dad is not in assisted living, but is in an apartment building inhabited mostly by older folks. One woman has taken it upon herself to leave him a meal a few times a week.
A house in my neighborhood is decorated for Fiesta even though Fiesta is postponed.
My D and her roommate surprised their other roommate by grocery shopping and filling the fridge with essentials before they moved home to work remotely. Their roommate is a nurse who’s been working overtime at the hospital. I’m so proud of them.
Saw on the local news tonight that a husband and wife (both Mass Gen ER doctors) made the decision to send their children to Texas to live with their grandparents while the two of them work to save the lives of COVID patients and are obviously constantly exposed themselves.
The mom was choking up in her interview, but felt it was the most selfless thing she could do to get her kids out of harms way since she and her husband may very likely end up contracting the virus while they try to save lives.
There are many restaurants, chefs, and food centered charities that are providing free meals in New Orleans. Most are not established charities, but I imagine that this is how Jose Andres started World Central Kitchen - by meeting an immediate local need with lovingly prepared food.
My friend’s father lives in senior housing. She tells me that a couple of the aids have moved into empty apartments so they can be there if all travel is banned. I’m impressed.
The organization’s pilot program would pay for 400 restaurants to provide one million free meals
World Central Kitchen, founded by chef José Andrés, has been hard at work trying to keep people fed during the pandemic. Now, it’s launching a pilot program as part of its Chefs for America operation, in which it will cover the costs for 400 restaurants across the country to provide one million free meals to those struggling with access to food. Nate Mook, chief executive of WCK, told the Washington Post, “Our hope is that we can show that this works and get the powers that be, in our state governments and our federal governments, to recognize that this is a solution.”
WCK will be giving restaurants a fixed amount—around $10 to $20 a meal for pre-set number of meals—so they’ll be able budget for rehiring staff and ordering supplies.
One of our local TV stations has a weekly “Pay It Forward” segment where it highlights a person who volunteers to help others often in small, easily overlooked ways. The honoree is nominated by an individual viewer and receives $400.
With the new “stay at home” orders, the station now selects one of the struggling local restaurants and orders $400 worth of meals to be donated to those on the front lines. Respiratory therapists, HCW doing Covid testing at a drive up site, EMS paramedics.
I like this idea–it benefits 2 sets of people–the restaurants & their workers and the meal recipients.
Wasn’t sure where to put this so dug up this thread on page 4
Tomorrow night (Thursday, April 30) there will be a special Parks and Rec reunion special with proceeds from the show going to Feeding America Covid- 19 Response Fund. The entire cast will participate virtually from their homes.
Can’t wait! And kudos to the cast. Apparently when Mike Schur put the idea out to the cast he has positive responses and committments from the entire cast within 45 minutes.
Edited to say, show will be televised starting at 8pm EST on NBC with clips from the original series and then at 8:30pm EST, the reunion special.
