Charities and the groups they support have been left in particularly vulnerable situations following the COVID-19 outbreak. The good news is you can still help those who are most affected while maintaining social distancing rules. Read on to discover our guide to volunteering during the pandemic. If you’d like to find out more about how charities have been impacted by coronavirus, check out our piece written by our Head of Giving, Louise Skinner.
Support the NHS
The NHS needs our support. Here’s how you can help:
- NHS Give Blood – https://www.blood.co.uk/
- Become an NHS Responder with NHS Volunteer Group – https://www.goodsamapp.org/NHS
- Cook and deliver food for NHS workers – https://www.furloughedfoodieslondon.co.uk/
- Volunteer in hospitals with the Royal Voluntary Service – https://www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/
Help reach vulnerable people
The most vulnerable people in our community have become even more isolated because of coronavirus. Find out how you can reach them:
- Join the British Red Cross Reserves – https://reserves.redcross.org.uk/
- Help your elderly neighbours with Age UK – https://www.ageuk.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/neighbourly-volunteering/
- Donate food to your local food bank (they even give you a shopping list) – https://www.trusselltrust.org/coronavirus-food-banks/get-involved/
- Join the food-sharing network with Fair Share Food – https://fareshare.org.uk/volunteer/?dm_i=6CPZ%2CUMD%2CKQO7Q%2C2WDZ%2C
- Help the hungry with The Felix Project – https://thefelixproject.org/help-us/how-can-i-help
- Find skill-sharing opportunities with Reach Volunteering – https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/
- Talk to people who are struggling with the SHOUT Crisis text line – https://www.giveusashout.org/volunteer-with-us/
- Flyer your neighborhood with Red Green Cards – https://www.redgreencards.com/
- Deliver food to the elderly – https://www.helptheelderly.org/volunteer
- Raise awareness of food sharing with Olio – https://olioex.com/get-involved/volunteer/
- Make friends with your elderly neighbours from a distance with The Cares Family – https://www.thecaresfamily.org.uk/blog/alonetogether-30-creative-ways-to-stay-together-this-april-even-from-afar
Volunteering near you
There are plenty of ways to help the people in your community at this time. Use these sites to find local charities who need your support:
- Volunteering Matters – https://volunteeringmatters.org.uk/want-to-volunteer/
- Do-It – https://do-it.org/
- NCVO – https://www.ncvo.org.uk/ncvo-volunteering/find-a-volunteer-centre
If you have any ideas for volunteering opportunities that you think we should add, please get in touch on Twitter @OisforOctopus.