Coronavirus crisis in Philadelphia: How you can help amid COVID-19 pandemic
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- As our neighborhoods deal with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health crisis, many community members are impacted differently by the coronavirus pandemic.
RELATED: Get the latest live updates on the coronavirus crisis
Here are some ways you can help during this time:
Support local businesses:
Stores and restaurants are hurting, as they close due to the safe-at-home orders around the area. There are a variety of ways to help, from liking and commenting on social media to buying gift cards to use later. Check in with the local businesses you care about to see if they're open and learn how you can best support them.
Donate funds or food to a local food bank:
With unemployment skyrocketing during the coronavirus outbreak, many families will find themselves needing help for the first time. Over 37 million people don't have access to nutritious food, including 1 in 12 seniors and 1 in 7 children. You can find more information about local food banks in need on our food bank page.
Give blood:
Donors are needed urgently. Find a blood drive near you or find ways to volunteer your time.
Make sure you're protecting yourself and others out in public:
CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
MORE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
Here are additional organizations you can support as they work to lend a hand during the coronavirus pandemic:
PHLCOVID19FUND.org
This fund was created by The Philadelphia Foundation, the Unite Way of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey and the City of Philadelphia to rapidly fund and supply grants to various non-profits and community organizations in the Tri-state area that serve the most vulnerable and underserved populations during this COVID-19 pandemic. Donations are being accepted at PHLCOVID19FUND.org.
If you'd like to donate directly to a non-profit or volunteer your time, consider the following non-profits:
• Advocates for Homeless & Those in Need
• Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha (APM)
• Broad Street Ministry
• BSM/Prevention Point/Project HOME
• Bucks County Housing Group
• CADES
• Cathedral Soup Kitchen, Inc.
• Catholic Housing and Community Services
• Catholic Social Services
• Chosen 300 Ministries, Inc.
• Community FoodBank of New Jersey
• Community Volunteers in Medicine
• Hedwig House, Inc.
• Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger
• ICNA Relief SHAMS Clinic
• Jewish Family & Children's Service of Greater Philadelphia
• Lutheran Settlement House
• Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA)
• Mighty Writers
• Multicultural Community Family Services, Inc.
• National Nurse-Led Care Consortium
• Neighborhood Center in Camden
• Pathways to Housing PA
• Patrician Society of Central Norristown
• Penn Foundation, Inc.
• Philabundance
• Philadelphia FIGHT
• Phoenixville Area Senior Center
• Prevention Point Philadelphia
• Project H.O.P.E.
• Puentes de Salud
• Saint John's Hospice
• Saint Miriam Parish & Friary
• Share Food Program
• Silver Springs - Martin Luther School
• St. Ignatius Nursing & Rehab Center
• The Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank
• The Sunday Love Project
• Valley Youth House Committee, Inc.
• Vetri Community Partnership
• Weavers Way Community Programs
• Why Not Prosper, Inc.
• Women's Resource Center of the Delaware Valley
• Yardley Makefield Consolidated Emergency Unit
