How you can help your local community during the COVID-19 pandemic?

3rd April 2020

Updated February 2021

We can all help to build a culture of neighbourliness at this critical time and there are many ways in which you can support people local to you.

Your local neighbourhood

Offer to set up online shopping for neighbours who are unable to access computers or find this difficult.
When leaving the home for essentials, ask a neighbour if they need anything for example they may have to collect a prescription or post a letter.
If you are going for a walk, does a neighbour have a dog that you could take with you?
Has someone in your neighbourhood gone out of their way to help others? A note of thanks or gratitude popped through their door can go along way.

Throughout 2020, many people placed rainbows in their windows to share messages of hope. Why not spread some cheer by placing cheerful pictures or jokes in your windows, to make your local neighbourhood that little more colourful?

Volunteering

If you and your family are not in one of the vulnerable groups, you could offer to help in person.

Find local organisations that need your help through searching social media or contacting your local COVID-19 Response Hub which you can find on your local government website.
Local food banks may need volunteers to make collections from supermarkets, sort donations or deliver food parcels to those who are vulnerable.
If you need to stay at home, you can still offer help through telephone befriending schemes such as AGE UK.
NHS is coordinating a number of volunteer opportunities to help the most vulnerable in our society. Find out more and join the 400,000+ who have already signed up here: https://www.goodsamapp.org/NHS.

Food donations

Many families in our local communities are struggling to feed themselves at the moment for a variety of reasons. Donations of long shelf life items can be made in over 70 of our retail stores. To find a participating store close to you, use our store finder here: https://southern.coop/store-locator.
Find out more about food banks in your area by visiting Trussell Trust (https://www.trusselltrust.org/) or via Neighbourly.com (https://www.neighbourly.com/)

Financial donations

If you are able to contribute financially, please support our appeal to help fight hunger in our region via FareShare. Across the country, food charities have seen a significant drop in food donations. We have committed £50,000 to FareShare, the UK’s largest hunger fighting charity, and our colleagues, members and customer have donated an additional £5,000.
For every £1 donated, FareShare (registered charity number 1100051) is able to redistribute four meals so a £5 donation equals 20 meals to vulnerable people. To make a donation visit https://fareshare.org.uk/.
You may also consider supporting local causes who are at the frontline of community support by donating to the Neighbourly Community Fund. Neighbourly works with much food distribution charities and other grass roots organisations which are helping those most in need during this difficult time and beyond. More information here: https://www.neighbourly.com/NeighbourlyCommunityFund.
If you want to make a difference to your retail store’s current Local Partner, collection pots are still by the tills. Please consider donating any small change to these as many charities and good causes are struggling to raise funds.

Mental health and nature

As we spend more time indoors it is now more important than ever that we all take care of our mental health and wellbeing. Daily contact with nature has been shown to improve health and reduce stress levels so join our friends at local Wildlife Trusts who are sharing ways in which you can connect with nature at home: