COVID-19: Helping Others; Fun Things for Grown-ups

How to Help Others

Inspiring stories are circulating about neighbors looking out for each other, teens helping seniors, communities setting up Facebook pages to share needs, and more.

If you are in a position to help others, here are some ideas, along with terrific stories of what others are doing.

• Fight food insecurity by donating to a food bank or your local food pantry. Find your local food bank. Find food pantries near you. 
   
• Surprise a high risk individual in your area with a complimentary delivery of groceries. Here is a list of the 10 best delivery services for 2020. -Good Housekeeping

  A volunteer service started by two teens  supports seniors by buying and delivering groceries. Teens Helping Seniors is based in Montgomery County, Maryland and has grown to serve many more communities and regions. 

  Caremongering groups started in Canada and are spreading globally to provide local help during the COVID-19 crisis. Through social media, members connect to provide meals for those in need, help those who have been laid off from work, locate hand sanitizer, and address many other challenges." - BBC

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• Donating blood can help ease the shortage across the country. Follow this link to find an accredited donation site near you. 

• Reduce the strain on animal shelters by fostering or adopting a pet, or, donate to a local pet food pantry. - The Humane Society of the United States
   
• Make a donation to a homeless shelter in your community.
   
• Contact local nursing homes to inquire about serving as a remote virtual companion to an elderly resident. A quick Google search can identify nursing homes in your area.
   
• Support local restaurants and businesses by purchasing gift cards for future use. 

  Here's how 30 companies are helping Americans during the pandemic. - USA Today
   

• Volunteer remotely to help non-profits that are looking for virtual volunteers, including the Red Cross or the United Nations.  - Idealist

Ideas & Fun Things for Grown-ups

As we spend more time at home, we are discovering plenty of fun activities and ideas for grown-ups that we thought you might enjoy. Below are some of our favorites.

• Start the day with a 'Starbucks,' brewed in your own kitchen. Here are nine Starbucks drink recipes you can recreate at home.
  - Marie Claire
   
• Want to spice up your Zoom get-togethers? Good Housekeeping has collected “The 28 Best Zoom Backgrounds You Can Download Right Now for Free.” 
   
• Have you wanted to start running?  "6 Expert Tips on How to Start Running" provides plenty of motivation and good advice. - Runner's World

• You may want to get rid of the clutter if  you are spending more time at home. Here's a solid plan to "Declutter your home in 30 Days." (Just ignore the part that says to "toss expired medicines" and follow the FDA's guidelines for medicine disposal instead.) -SparkPeople & the FDA
   
• Love movies? See how many of the 92 Oscar Best-Picture winners you've already watched and catch up on those you've missed. - Business Insider
   
• Learn a language. It's free. It's fun. And you can make progress in a short period of time each day. -Duolingo
   
• Learn to paint with live streaming, step-by-step lessons from the Art Sherpa on YouTube. 
   
• Increase your brain power by taking one of the 500 free online courses offered by Ivy League Schools. - Inc.

  Yale's The Science of Well-Being is designed to increase your personal happiness and build more productive habits. More than 2.3 million have enrolled; it is the most popular course in Yale's history.
   

• 5 Quarantine Cleaning Types . . . which one are you? From "stress" cleaning to "I can't even," here are thoughts about your cleaning style and understanding others in your space who may not see things the same way.
  - Apartmenttherapy.com

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