How can we help our neighbors who are experiencing hard times?
During crises like the Coronavirus pandemic, many of our neighbors need our help to stay healthy, put food on the table and a roof over their heads. Small businesses and nonprofits also need our support during difficult times.
Learn about simple actions we can take to improve the lives of our neighbors and protect our future. This guide covers various ways we can donate, volunteer, shop locally and provide relief to those who need it in our area.
UPDATE: Watch the video of our “Support Your Neighbors” Zoom Meetup on May 18 at 6 pm. This free community event featured talks by community leaders at Canal Alliance, Conscious Kitchen and Fairfax Volunteer Match.
WHY DO IT
Support your neighbors to:
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Keep vulnerable people fed, sheltered and safe
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Help local companies stay in business
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Share essential resources equitably
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Build community in your area
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Help us feel less isolated
GET INSPIRED
GET STARTED
Here are 5 great ways to help your neighbors in times of crisis:
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Donate or volunteer at a local food bank
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Help get essentials to people in need
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Order (or buy gift cards) from local businesses
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Support non-profits in your community
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Donate blood safely to patients who need it
LEARN MORE
Read more about helping your neighbors.
LOCAL RESOURCES
Watch this video of “Support Your Neighbors”, a Zoom meetup hosted by Green Change in May 2020.
Here are some local resources to help you support your neighbors in the Bay Area and beyond.
Marin and North Bay
Bags of Love
Give a weekly bag of groceries to low-income families of Marin City students.
Canal Alliance
Donate to help hardworking and vulnerable immigrants put food on the table, pay for rent and utilities, and cover other urgent expenses through their Client Support Fund.
Conscious Kitchen
Donate or volunteer to provide healthy meals to students, seniors, and other vulnerable people in Marin. Email them to get their “buy one, give one” farm box, for weekly pickup in Marin.
ExtraFood
Help ExtraFood rescue excess fresh food from Marin organizations and deliver it to Marin’s most vulnerable communities — giving thousands of free meals during the Coronavirus crisis.
Fairfax Volunteer Match
Join this volunteer matching service to support and protect people in need during these difficult times.
Marin Agricultural Land Trust
Buy local — and support farmers and ranchers, every time you shop.
Marin Businesses
Support Marin businesses that are open during the Covid-19 shutdown and recovery. Created and maintained a volunteer couple to support local commerce.
Marin Community Fund
Donate through the Covid-19 Quick Response Fund to non-profits supporting affected community members.
Masketeers
Sew homemade masks for frontline workers throughout Marin County. (For more local mask-making, see also Masks4Marin group on Facebook.)
Mill Valley Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Help support seniors and people in need in Mill Valley.
Ritter Center
Provide shelter and support to people experiencing homelessness in Marin.
San Francisco-Marin Food Bank
Donate or volunteer for programs like morning snacks for students, farm to family, home-delivered groceries — and pop-up pantries that are open to anyone who is struggling to buy food.
St. Vincent de Paul Society
Sign up to prepare and deliver bag meals to support the hungry in San Rafael.
East Bay
Alameda County Food Bank
Feed community members through Cal Food Fresh. Until everyone is fed.
Berkeley Mutual Aid Network
Help connect those who can help with those who have a need.
East Bay Feeder
Buy meals from local, independently-owned restaurants, and deliver those meals to five East Bay hospitals.
Oakland At Risk
Healthy adults are paired with people at risk, to coordinate the delivery of essential supplies.
Rebuilding Together
Give the needy something to hold onto. Stop a fall. Change a life.
Roots Clinic
Cultivate health and hope through care and empowerment.
White Pony Express
Pick up and deliver perishable/prepared food the same day to feed the hungry in Contra Costa County.
Richmond Neighborhood Center
Volunteer to ensure that everyone is able to get enough to eat.
Tri-City Volunteers Food Bank and Thrift Store
Distribute food to improve the quality of life for all in our community.
Can you suggest more local resources to support your neighbors in the East Bay? Email us.
San Francisco
Glide
Daily free meals delivered to all in need, 3 times a day, to San Francisco’s poor, homeless and hungry.
North Beach Neighbors
Support network to help SF residents get services like grocery gift cards, volunteer drivers, meal delivery.
Salvation Army – San Francisco
Help families and individuals in your community will receive the help and hope they need.
San Francisco Unified School District
Provide free breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks for children at school sites throughout the city.
Can you suggest more local resources to support your neighbors in SF? Email us.
South Bay
Abundant Grace Coastside Workers
Help them house, employ and feed people experiencing homelessness.
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
Help this food bank support residents in need.
Can you recommend local resources to support your neighbors in the South Bay? Email us.
Bay Area
Downtown Streets Team
Help people in need find shelter and get back to work.
Fork Over
Connect folks looking to fork over some funds to service industry workers currently impacted by COVID-19.
Food Runners
Pick up and deliver perishable/prepared food the same day to feed the hungry.
Giving Tree
Help people cover their basic needs right now (like food, medications, and household supplies).
Save Our Faves
Help save local businesses during the COVID-19 crisis by supporting them through gift card purchases.
Can you suggest more local resources to support your neighbors all across the Bay Area? Email us.
California
American Red Cross – Northern California
Give blood, help save lives. Healthy donors are encouraged to donate plasma to help COVID-19 patients.
California Food Banks
Help growers and packers receive a tax credit for donating produce to food banks or get reimbursed for special picking and packing costs.
California Volunteers
Volunteer to connect residents, businesses, and organizations to safely unite in service.
Chefs to End Hunger
Help provide meals to the hungry by redistributing the excess prepared food that would normally go to waste in hotels, restaurants, and other foodservice operations to local charitable organizations to serve the meals.
Great Plates Delivered
Help deliver home meals to seniors in California.
Nextdoor
Connect with your neighbors and local businesses or non-profits. Check out their Help Map, where people can either offer or request help to pick up groceries, meds, or other essentials.
Vitalant Blood Heroes
Donate blood to help others during this pandemic.
Can you suggest more local resources to support your neighbors across California? Email us.
This listing focuses on Marin and the Bay Area at this time.
