Hey everyone. Hope you’re doing alright and that you’re in good health. Since people have been asking what kind of volunteering work is needed right now, I thought it might be a good idea to try and compile various options in today’s header.

• First, our very own Ranting Swede has some suggestions (reposted with permission):

“Blood donation has dropped so the Red Cross is looking for donors.
If you sew, this page gives instructions on how to make face masks.
All the rest tends to be local with packing and distributing food being the most common.
Donations are always welcomed.
If you’re in a specialized field, you can see if there’s something that you can do. For example, all emergency medical techs are wanted. I’m volunteered for performing some lab tests but have not been activated yet. I know programmers are wanted for programming things.”

She also has a number of volunteering suggestions listed on her COVID-19 article, including the aforementioned donating blood and making face masks. (This update from Czechia can indicate how much of a difference homamade face masks can make.)

• Mr. Glitch is encouraging us to join Folding@Home. In this project, we help researchers who are working on treatments for COVID-19, by letting them use our computers to run their heavy and time-consuming calculations. Mr. Glitch has even opened an Avocado group for us! For a more in-depth explanation from him see here, further technical info on joining the Avocado Folding@Home group here, and an explanation of computing at home here.

• I’ll repost this advice SheleetaHam gave us last week: “I would also recommend looking into your local United Way chapter. Mine already has a COVID fund set up.

Also check your local art foundation, check all your local foundations. Everybody is setting up funds to help in their own specific ways.”

• I’ll repost this article which I posted last week. The options listed there are:

Donate to, volunteer at your local food bank

Find ways to help feed students who depend on school lunches

Support small businesses that employ low-wage workers

Collaborate with neighbors to check in on the most vulnerable in your community

• This article has several more options in addition to what we’ve already talked about:

Get medical supplies shipped to where they’re needed most

Volunteer with Meals on Wheels

Help people experiencing homelessness

• This article has even more options, including:

Make sure your elderly and vulnerable neighbours have everything they need

Donate food and sanitary products

Donate what you can to charity shops

• The Red Cross is looking for volunteers.

• If you’re in the UK, the NHS is looking for volunteers. If you’re not in the UK, check to see if your national or state healthcare system is looking for volunteers.

• If you’re in Australia, you can join Adopt a Healthcare Worker, or a volunteer network to support the local elderly people. If you’re not in Australia, check to see if there are local volunteer movements near you to support healthcare workers and elderly people.

• Uncle Kvetch adds: “If you come across a piece of music you like on YouTube or Pandora or whatever streaming service you use, go to the artist’s website, and buy it. Even $1 for the download of a single track will make a difference for artists whose income has been decimated by shutdowns and travel bans.”

And also consider buying merchandise from artists you like.

• Press Rouch adds: “For UK folks: https://covidmutualaid.org/“

• Ranting Swede adds: “For coders, Kaggle has a series of tasks, primarily forecasting the spread of the virus https://www.kaggle.com/tags…

Also, HackZurich (run by ETH Zurich and the Swiss Department of Home Affairs) is having a 72 hour hackathon https://www.codevscovid19.org/“

• Finally, the common theme of most of these options is that most volunteer work needs to be local. So we all need to find local volunteering needs:

Look for local charities, nonprofits, governmental aid systems, and volunteer networks.

Check your local news to see what local volunteering efforts are currently needed.

Check your state and local government to see if they are compiling or coordinating local volunteering efforts, such as California or New York State.

• If anyone has any additional suggestions I would love to hear them and add them.

If you are able to volunteer, good luck, thank you, and stay safe.

Of course if you aren’t able to volunteer that’s also fine – we’re all doing what we can, just take care of yourself.

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Welcome to Wednesday! Let’s make this day a good one. Please be respectful and considerate, let’s try to assume good faith and good intentions even in people we disagree with. Don’t threaten Mayor McSquirrel. If you have a problem, please feel free to contact the mods at avocadomods@gmail.com.