Community Service in Quarantine

Now more than ever, it is important to support our community and give back to those in need. It’s easy to feel helpless as we see hundreds of people suffering, but we don’t know what we can do to help out. Giving back to those who need it most right now is more possible than you may think. Check out some volunteering opportunities down below!

Donate to or volunteer at your local food bank!

Food banks are responding to COVID-19 by doing what they do best – feeding people in need.

Find out how to get involved with your local food bank at https://www.feedingamerica.org/.

Raise money for or donate to relief organizations or local nonprofits!

Support nonprofit organizations working in areas identified as having high numbers of affected individuals and those working with the most vulnerable populations. Areas of emphasis include helping health-care workers with purchases of masks, gowns, gloves and other protective equipment; supporting quarantined and vulnerable individuals; and hygiene promotion campaigns to limit the spread of the virus.

Check out disasterphilanthropy.org/ if you want to donate.

Play online quiz/ trivia games like freerice.com or beanbeanbean.com to help donate to charities!

Freerice is an ad-supported, free-to-play website and mobile application that allows players to donate rice to families in need by playing a multiple-choice quiz game. For every question the user answers correctly, 10 grains of rice are donated via the World Food Programme.

Similarly, you play a variety of online quizzes on BeanBeanBean to collect delicious beans. Then they donate to charities based on the amount of beans collected. Together, you can help out the less fortunate in needy communities. By playing BeanBeanBean, you're helping fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Turn your exercise miles into money for charity!

Download the Charity Miles app on your phone. With a variety of charities to choose from, you move for the causes and people you feel most passionate about. The app lets you log all types of movement, from running and walking to dancing and biking. For every mile you move, you help earn money for your charity from their corporate sponsorship pool.

For more information, visit charitymiles.org/faq.

And remember, community service could be as simple as checking in on your family, friends, and neighbors!

While we may be physically separated, many of us are having similar experiences. Together, we face uncertainties, and we’re connected by many of the same emotions.

This is a great time to reach out and connect with each other, offering a sense of community.

Take this time to call or video chat with people to stay connected, or reconnect with people you haven’t spoken to in a while!

Spotlight Writer

Andrea Aguilar, Volunteer Director

Andrea is the Volunteer Director for Anteaters’ Habitat for Humanity and is currently a third-year, math major. She has been part of the club since her first year and served as an intern for one year and the Volunteer Director for two years. She is keeping herself busy during this quarantine by watching TV, listening to new music, baking, and exercising.