If you are at home, not working (either from home or out in an essential position), are you doing anything (other than being careful not to catch or spread Covid-19) to maybe help out, and if so, what?

I’ve been leaving some cookies on neighbors’ porches, with their permission. I made soup yesterday and brought some to an elderly neighbor. In terms of larger helping, I’ve been mainly making donations to food banks and a local free dinner service in my city as well as to some of the immigrant groups that I always support.

My wife has made over 75 masks that I delivered to two different Convalescent Homes for their use. She working on additional masks for the local hospital. She is using tight-weave cotton Batik.

@janbb, the help to food banks, and checking on our elderly and infirm neighbors is priceless right now.

@Tropical_Willie Mention to your wife that adding facing to the inside increases efficacy of protection, as it is non-woven. And mention to her that I am in awe of her numbers. :-)

I meant to put that in she makes it with facing, she has rolls and rolls of facing.
We were on vacation at home; since we cancelled our trip on March 12th. She has worked from home for the last 5 years. Free time for her is sewing.

Good for her! I way overbought fac8ng last summer, I am glad now.

Nothing specific to Covid but this delay gives me more time to make more bowls for a soup kitchen benefit,

I called my FIL’s store manager to see if he can get a leave of absence. He asked his direct boss and the way my FIL understood it he would be replaced. My FIL is 79 spleen removed 20 years ago, and working in a supermarket and his wife is 83. I’ve been asking for a month if he wanted to stop working. Needless to say, I talked to the store manager and he immediately said it was no problem and we all think my FIL misunderstood his immediate boss. We’ll be sending them money for their bills. I guess the you can receive money if you’re sick or quarantined and he’s not fired so most likely no money. This is typical, for some reason I always wind up stepping up (interfering) to get the story straight, and sometimes it slaps me in the face. Luckily, this time they are very grateful.

I wrote my Governor twice with suggestions.

Since February I’ve been telling my friends in chemo, immunosuppressed, close family, and even tried on fluther indirectly by saying that I believe masks would help, it seems only logical, especially if health officials have said since the start we need to be quarantined if we are exposed because we may be asymptomatic but also contagious AND the best use of the mask is so sick people don’t get others sick. Put those two together. THINK PEOPLE! Masks would have slowed the spread. I stated it on fluther when it was discussed and people were screaming masks don’t work, I said something like “I agree the priority is for our healthcare workers to have masks.” I never blasted it across Facebook because I care the most about the supply for hospital workers.

There are women where I live making masks for neighbors, friends, and anyone, and I’m just helping them let people know they are there for the taking if they want a mask. I wish I had had a mask sooner and listened to my own brain. It only really works best if everyone is masked though. Actually, I told my friends with cancer (2 of them) in January to stay inside because flu was so widespread.

A bunch of us try to let each other know where we found certain supplies and pick up grocery items for each other so each of us doesn’t necessarily have to go as much to the store, also helping reduce the number of people in the stores.

I text with my sister every day to make sure she is alive. She’s in NYC living alone in an apartment.

For the first time in history, we can save the human race by laying on the floor and watching TV. Let’s not screw this up.

@Jaxk GA

@Jaxk: I saw a meme on FB that said that. The end sentence was “I trained my whole life for this.”

^^^Very cute.

“Of all the dangerous shit I did in my life, I’m gonna die because I touched my face?”
I feel really bad because I haven’t done anything for anyone to make this better for them.

@chyna You’re going to work every day. You are my hero!

I am working with ozone for Covid-19 disinfection.
Based upon SARS coronavirus data we built a model that computes the necessary dose and treatment times for different sized rooms and we have started flooding areas Our office, my home, garage, We built an ozone chamber to disinfect any shipments we receive from the outside sources and treat everything before we bring it inside.
Working with UofR hospital I hope to generate some data to validate our models and prove the concept.

I also sent a check to my art teacher for several lessons ahead because they live very hand to mouth, bought movie passes for my indie theater and offered my hairdresser and cleaning person money on account.

@janbb All great ideas to help the local shops. Thanks for your community service!

I’m working at home and being a sort of de facto information center for my community. It’s not much but since we have no city newspaper anymore, one post was shared 47+ times. I try.

As I covered on former threads, I am part of our neighbourhood squad helping elderly residents.
Our green/red card idea is working a treat, as is the pillowcase in mailbox food distribution scheme.
The very least anyone can do is come to the aid of those most in need, no heroics but rewarding all the same as it makes your heart soar!

@LuckyGuy I think I might have a virtual crush on you after that post. If only it could kill the virus and not the people. That’s what a lot of researchers say about drug therapies they test.

The wife has been sewing masks for the past week. She has given me 2 and made me swear to not leave the house without wearing one of them. She’s been giving them to our nurse friend who takes them to the hospital (UCSF). There was a crisis last Sunday when there was no elastic to be found, but the hospital sent some via the same nurse, and production is now back in full swing.

@stanleybmanly I read there is a lots of elastic inside bungee cords. Supposedly, you can use it for the masks.

I donated blood. There is an extreme shortage because virtually all the school/work/community blood drives are cancelled.. Blood products have a shelf life so they need a constant supply. I can donate again in 3 weeks and will be there.

Good idea, @Call_Me_Jay. I used to donate all the time (I have a 3 gallon pin somewhere!) but chemo trashed my veins. With some care, they might be able to take some of my useful O neg.

Donated to UCSF and local efforts to fund PPE to nearby hospitals.

Still researching materials before making masks. Polypropylene is impossible to get a hold of. Activated carbon textiles are back ordered. Considering cutting down HEPA activated carbon filters. But may not be breathable enough to be functional. :/

Local group of 3D printers are prototyping face shields. Volunteered to help assemble.

I’m working online so for me nothing has really changed but it is saving me a lot of time when go to shopping no matter what. Time saved I used to read some books I haven’t had a time to read them before the pandemic and I raised my guitar playing to the professional level (well, almost). I like this people doing masks, soaps and other stuff. Let’s connect and sell all of this things, I have a store settled up already. You do the shipping and the products, and we will make some money out of this mess.