Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place order in California, you may still want to give back and help those in your community. Below are some ways you can help others in this time of crisis locally in Oakland or the greater Bay Area if you are able:
- The East Oakland Collective needs food and hygiene supplies to distribute among homeless encampments in Oakland. Call or text 510-990-0775, email info@eastoaklandcollective.com or visit eastoaklandcollective.com
- Reach out to Alameda County Community Food Bank to donate food, cash or your time at accfb.org.
- St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County needs volunteers to make and distribute sack lunches now that its dining room is closed. Contact the nonprofit at volunteer@svdp-alameda.org or (510) 877-9252, or visit svdp-alameda.org to donate.
- The American Red Cross is facing a severe blood shortage due to an “unprecedented” number of blood drive cancellations due to the coronavirus outbreak. Find out how to give blood at redcross.org/give-blood.html.
- Supply Bank operates like a food bank, but for basics like diapers, hygiene supplies, school supplies, refurbished laptops. Visit supplybank.org/disaster-relief/ for more info.
- North Oakland Village for those in Uptown Rotary that have completed their volunteer application, North Oakland Village has members in the high-risk age that may need help with grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions during the Shelter-in-Place. Email oaklanduptownrotary@gmail.com if you can help.
- Oakland at Risk Match Oakland At Risk Match wants to spread a message of hope and compassion by serving our neighbors who are at risk of COVID-19 by matching people who sign-up to shop for elders or immunocompromised neighbors in their community. Visit their site to sign up oaklandatrisk.com.
- Make a Facemask for Medical Personnel with help from JOANN. JOAAN is providing free materials, supplies and patterns in this grassroots effort to create fabric masks and gowns for medical personnel. Find patterns and how-to guides on their website joann.com/make-to-give-response.
More locations or services can be found on this article from The Mercury News.
If you stay home and follow the instructions given by your Public Health Department or the CDC, thank you for doing your part in flattening the curve.
