Dear Subscriber,
#GivingTuesdayNow is a global event responding to the vast need created by COVID-19. Since City Limits exists to equip New Yorkers to make the city a better place, here are some ways to help address the impacts of the coronavirus crisis:
1) Volunteer: Many organizations need help serving those who've been hit hardest - and much of that work can be done at a safe social distance. Check out NYCService for basic information. Lifetime Connections Without Walls and Be My Eyes are just two of the many options out there.
2) Donate blood: Blood banks say their supplies are running low. Find out where to donate here. If you have recovered from COVID-19, you can donate your plasma antibodies for research as a possible treatment tool for the severely ill.
3) Join or start a mutual aid network: Neighbors have been helping one another since the moment this crisis started. City Limits has compiled a list of some mutual aid networks and other resources.
4) Take care of yourself: The most crucial civic duties you can perform right now are not putting yourself in danger, following social distancing guidelines, and staying home.
5) Help seniors with their groceries: If you know a senior citizen in your neighborhood, check in and offer to do their grocery shopping.
6) Don't panic buy: Medical supplies like surgical masks are needed by front-line workers. Don't hoard food, but shop wisely and reduce food waste to limit grocery trips. A three-week supply is a sensible target, if you can afford it.
7) Help local restaurants, small businesses and their workers: There are many organizations like ROAR (Relief Opportunities For All restaurants) raising money for people who lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Many restaurants and local businesses have created GoFundMe campaigns to keep their businesses afloat during this crisis.
8) If you can afford to, keep paying your domestic workers: Babysitters, home attendants, house cleaners and other domestic workers only receive a paycheck when they are booked. Social distancing has disrupted their work.
9) Share skills: The city's medical reserve corps is still taking applications from people with healthcare training. The City Bar Justice Center needs lawyers for its project to help small businesses. The Financial Planning Association and the Foundation For Financial Planning are connecting certified financial planners to clients who need help navigating the economic impacts of this crisis.
10) Donate to nonprofits: Hundreds of organizations around the city provide essential services and advocacy in normal times; now they're trying to address greater needs, often with fewer resources. You can find your own agencies to support or give through funds - like the Covid-19 Community Fund or the New York Community Trust Response & Impact Fund - that will distribute money to nonprofits.
City Limits is also a nonprofit - one committed to covering the immediate and long-term effects of this crisis in marginalized communities across the five boroughs. Becoming a subscriber or a member are ways to support our important job of keeping the city informed through this crisis.
After COVID-19, we will never be the same. It's up to all of us whether the new city is a better one.
Sincerely,
Jarrett Murphy
Executive Editor
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