NO NEIGHBORS IN NEED NYC
This is a quick guide for New Yorkers to: i) contribute to the fight against the Coronavirus and; ii) ensure that no neighbors remain in need in NYC during this crisis. Crowdsourced initially from a small group of City and nonprofit employees, this resource needs your help to be kept up to date. Thank you for contributing your time, effort and financial resources where possible. And please share widely! If there are any questions, email me at carol.meiyan@gmail.com.
IMMEDIATE RESOURCES FOR IF YOU ARE IN NEED
| Item | Description | Organizations |
|---|---|---|
| Deliveries via cyclists | A collective of cyclists willing to courier supplies to people in need for free, using the low contact methods first implemented in Wuhan | coronacourier@protonmail.com |
| Grocery Delivery | Request a delivery | Invisible Hands |
https://www.invisiblehandsdeliver.com/|
|Food distribution in NYC|Check out the map for locations of places serving hot food, has a food pantry or other public assistance|Food assistance locations https://www.foodbanknyc.org/get-help/|
|Grab & Go lunches for students|Available at every public school in New York City, any school is fine (doesn’t have to be your school)|More information from NYC DOE here
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/food/free-meals-for-all
Grab & Go breakfast/lunch available for any student at the entrance of every DOE school building from 7.30am-1.30pm|
|Grab & Go lunches for students|Red Rabbit (a school food vendor) is delivering grab & go breakfasts & lunches for any child in the Harlem & Bronx communities at the following times/locations:|8:00am-8:20 @ 15rd & 8th Ave (Polo Grounds)
8:30am-8:50 @ 150th & Broadway
9:00am-9:20 @ 142nd & Lenox Ave
9:30am-9:45 @ 135th & 5th Ave
10:00am-10:45 @Boys Prep CS 192 East 151st (Bronx)
11:00am-12:00pm @ 1 East 104th St - Capital Prep East Harlem|
|Emergency childcare|For healthcare and transit workers, emergency childcare is available at select public schools in NYC
An app for parents to send childcare requests to their informal network, that allows their family or friends to opt-in/out quickly by text|NYC Department of Education
Wiggle Room
http://app.wiggleroomnow.com|
|Get internet|Use Comcast’s Xfinity Wifi network for free nationwide, or sign up for 2 months free at Comcast
Free Access to Spectrum Broadband For 60 Days For New K-12 and College Students
Mint Mobile
Free unlimited data until Apr 14th|Map of Xfinity hotspots, www.xfinity.com/wifi. Once at a hotspot, select the “xfinitywifi” network, then launch a browser.
Comcast
Spectrum
To enroll call 1-844-488-8395. Installation fees will be waived for new student households.
Altice
Altice USA Brings Free Broadband to K-12 and College Students During Coronavirus Pandemic
Mint Mobile
https://www.mintmobile.com/unlimited/|
|“Learn at Home”|NYC DOE provided resources to help parents guide kids through remote learning|NYC DOE Guidelines for Parents https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/learn-at-home|
|Get a line of credit|Coronavirus Financial Impact Loan Program provides interest-free $2000-$5000 interest-free loans to residents of NYC, Westchester or Long Island affected by the Coronavirus|Hebrew Free Loan Society
https://hfls.org/|
|Seek safety from domestic violence|Help for anyone co-quarantined with an abuser and worried about having to self-isolate in a dangerous home situation|Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, 1800-787-3224, chat at thehotline.org|
And one of the best articles on the epidemiology of the virus to remind us of why social distancing is crucial https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca
To convince someone you care about to stay in, start the conversation:
- Express concern - “[name] I saw that they canceled schools and events near you. Are you all stocked up on what you need, and are you good to stay inside for a few weeks?”
- Explain what you yourself will do - “I’m cancelling everything and keeping myself home for the foreseeable future” / “I’m happy to pick up what you need at the store but I’m not coming in - text me your list and I’ll leave it on the porch”
- Communicate the why - “You can be asymptomatic but still spread it to other people, so I’m erring on the safe side” / “I would feel terrible if [high-risk person you both care about] got it from me, so I’m going to keep my distance”
- Appeal to emotion - “I’m trying not to panic, and it would help my peace of mind a lot if you would stay home for now. Do this for me.” / “I don’t want to lose you. Please take this seriously and take precautions. For me.”
How to Help New Yorkers From Home
- CONTRIBUTE YOUR TECHNICAL ABILITY
| Approach | Description | Organizations Organizing |
|---|---|---|
| Donate spare computing power to help research scientists | Gamers are invited to lend their computing power to help with disease research conducted by Folding@Homes | How to: https://wccftech.com/gamers-help-us-beat-coronavirus-covid-19/ |
See announcement: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-wants-gamers-to-fight-covid-19|
|Contribute machine learning knowhow to analyze the Covid-19 research dataset - CORD-19|Call to action for the AI research community, which can employ machine learning techniques to surface unique insights from this machine readable open data set|https://pages.semanticscholar.org/coronavirus-research|
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- CONTRIBUTE TO EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE NEEDS
| Approach | Description | Organizations Organizing |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor Laptops | Laptops for remote learning | TK - please help! |
| Sponsor wifi hotspots | Internet connection | TK - please help! |
| Virtual tutoring and reading support for students | Sign up for New York Cares COVID-19 volunteer campaign | https://www.newyorkcares.org/ |
| Prep job-seekers virtually | Volunteer in online or telephone practice interviews and networking sessions with job seekers, which expand their networks and advance their job searches during this challenging time | Upwardly Global |
https://www.upwardlyglobal.org/support-us/become-a-volunteer/|
|Donate new computers|Grand Central Neighborhoods computers are outdated|http://www.grandcentralneighborhood.org/fundraising/p|
|Refer newly jobless to childcare network|Bell Family Company is looking for people to work as emergency babysitters, nannies, and more. If you are healthy and looking for work, they are hiring, and parents need help.|https://www.bellfamilycompany.com/
(It’s referral based – email bgobes88@gmail.com if you’d like to be referred)|
- CONTRIBUTE TO THOSE FACING ECONOMIC HARDSHIP
| Approach | Description | Organizations Organizing |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Cash Aid | ||
| for economically affected workers | Funds for service workers quarantined or sick who are losing out on wages | National Domestic Workers Alliance fund for domestic workers who need financial coverage to stay home https://secure.actblue.com/donate/coronavirus-care-fund |
Service Workers Coalition - Venmo @bkservicecoalition // serviceworkerscoalition@gmail.com
Service2Service relief fund for service/gig/freelance workers - Google Form
Restore NYC Help survivors of sex trafficking affected by COVID-19
Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC)’s
Fund for restaurant workers
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- CONTRIBUTE TO DAILY NECESSITIES
| Approach | Description | Organizations Organizing |
|---|---|---|
| Deliver meals | Volunteer to help deliver meals | Invisible Hands |
https://www.invisiblehandsdeliver.com/|
|Sponsor meals|Donate to support nonprofits throughout the city in providing meals to students, families, homeless in need|Food Bank of New York
(Donations thru Apr 17 will be matched by the Board of Directors; volunteer opportunities are open only to those already registered, no new orientations until April)
Alliance for Positive Change (pre-packaged meals for clients who drop in for healthcare services)
CHiPs (accepts cash or food donations) - Soup kitchen wish list
(718) 237-2962|
|Donate food from resturant closures|If you own a restaurant and are suspending operations|Google Form|
|Donate Hygiene Kits (unused) -
E.g. Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, hampoo, Deodorant (stick), Socks, Wash Cloth/Towel, Sanitary napkins and tampons||Grand Central Neighborhood Donations
Address - 120 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016
Bowery Mission needs supplies to fight covid-19
CHiPs - Frances Residence wish list
Food Bank for NYC - collecting feminine hygiene and personal care products (unopened). ehill@foodbanknyc.org, 212.566.7855 ext. 2247|
|General Donations||Goodwill Industries of NY and NJ|
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HOW TO HELP NEW YORKERS IF YOU ARE HEALTHY AND MOBILE
- VOLUNTEER TO KEEP CRITICAL SERVICES RUNNING
| Approach | Organizations Organizing |
|---|---|
| Distribute food and care packages | North Brooklyn Angels - In need of volunteers to prepare and distribute sanitation packages |
Bowery Mission needs healthy volunteers
Grand Central Neighborhood Soup Kitchen
Address - 120 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016
Phone - 212-883-0680 Ext. 108
Email - admin@gcnssc.org
WIN NYC (Women in need)
Food Bank for NYC - repack donated feminine and personal care items at our Bronx Warehouse on Saturday, March 21
Goodwill Industries of NY and NJ|
|Assist immigrants|New Sanctuary Coalition - Need volunteers for remote work to support immigrants|
|Help the Homeless|Homes for the homeless - contact@hfhnyc.org|
|Donate blood|The American Red Cross needs your help as we face a severe blood shortage (blood can only be banked for a few weeks), because drives were cancelled and donations plummeted in the last few weeks
https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/coronavirus--covid-19--and-blood-donation.html|
MORE NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED WAYS TO HELP NEW YORKERS
A group of volunteers are coordinating local responses. You can reach NYCCoronavirus@gmail.com, on Twitter and review their Facebook Group and Facebook Page
INTERNATIONAL NEEDS
| Organization | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| RefugePoint | Assist with preparations for the coronavirus in refugee camps in Africa | Donate |
| International Rescue Committee | Assist with preparations for the coronavirus in refugee camps all over the world. Refugees tend to have a higher rate of underlying health issues, and usually live in more crowded conditions where they’d be more susceptible to the virus. | https://www.rescue.org/article/coronavirus-update-who-will-be-hit-hardest-outbreak |
| International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), in collaboration with the National Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) | Assist with the global emergency 32M Swiss francs (USD 33M) appeal to support community-based health activities, access to basic services, and the management of misinformation and stigma | https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/press-release/ifrc-majorly-ramp-coronavirus-programmes-across-globe/ |
| Medicins Sans Frontieres | Help Doctors Without Borders equip and protect European healthcare workers as well as advocate for the evacuation of at-risk refugees in overcrowded Greek camps | https://www.msf.org/covid-19 |
PROGRAM / POLICY IDEAS TO RECOMMEND TO PUBLIC SERVANTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS
| Proposal | Target Population | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Economic relief for independent contractors | Freelance workers e.g. Uber drivers | |
| Revolving credit line for small businesses | Micro business-owners | Department of Small Business Services Loans |
Hebrew Free Loan Society’s interest-free loans|
|Manage an emergency funds for sick time off for workers|Workers without sufficient sick time off||
|Provide emergency childcare|Frontline workers||
|Help freelancers to plan for the business impact of the Coronavirus|Freelancer workers|https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2020/03/11/what-freelancers-need-to-know-about-coronavirus/|
|Wage subsidies for businesses to keep workers employed|||
|Income support for most vulnerable, such as increasing public benefits, and utility subsidies etc.|||
|Rent freezes for small restaurants|Small F&B business owners||
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