As we stay home and roam the virtual world during the coronavirus pandemic it’s easy to find worrying and scary information, and right now it looks like it could be a while until things start to calm down.
Everyone can seem like the enemy.
But some inspiring stories are also showing up. We’ve heard about residents of Italy helping one another and singing from their balconies. Florence tenor Maurizio Marchini’s offering is good for some goosebumps:
Across the world from Italy, cellist Yo-Yo Ma is sharing #SongsOfComfort:
Mother Jones featured a story on Tuesday about Rebecca Mehra of Oregon, who helped an elderly couple in a parking lot. The two 80-year-olds had been waiting in their car for 45 minutes, afraid to enter the grocery store due to health risk. Ms. Mehra approached the strangers, took a $100 bill and their list, got the groceries (canned goods, toilet paper), loaded them in the couple’s car, and returned the change.
“Most people I know would have done the same thing I did. I was just in the right place at the right time,” said Ms. Mehra.
Press releases from FDA announce a severe shortage of blood in the US and donors are urgently needed. In West Yorkshire, UK, a food bank was robbed of a large donation of supplies and the charity is asking for help. Music platform Bandcamp is waiving their revenue shares from all sales tomorrow, Mar. 20, to help musicians whose shows are cancelled due to the virus.
So we thought it was time for a thread about ways to help our local communities or any of our world neighbors and reduce a little of the fear and negativity.
If you know about an organization or individual in need, post it here! If you’ve heard about a way to help or you’ve seen a story that inspired you, please share.
And keep being careful!
