Helping each other during COVID-19

In the wake of COVID-19, we all need to adapt and learn new ways of doing things. This has been a particularly challenging time for a number of community organizations whose focus is to help those in need. Whether you are looking for some support during this time or want to find ways to help organizations with their work, here are some ways to help.

Looking for Help?

Vancouver Foundation Community Response Fund

The Vancouver Foundation created a new fund to support charities (in the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley) who provide front-line services to vulnerable populations whose staff, volunteers, programs, and operations have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. 

Find more about how grants are awarded here.

We Gotchu

Are you having trouble finding the help you need during this time? The SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue has created a one-stop resource to help answer all your questions. Whether it’s housing, to working through the employment insurance portal, to keeping with your mental and physical health and access food, this resource is sure to help.

See the full guide here.

COVID-19 Resources for Seniors and Their Caregivers

SFU’s Science and Technology for Aging Research Institute (STAR) has compiled a range of simple guides to assist seniors and their caregivers. Resources include guides for using SKYPE and Facebook, finding assistance on filing your taxes and more.

Find the resources and more information here.

WANT TO HELP?

DTES Response 

DTES Response is a coordinated effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the neighbourhood. There are 15,000 people at risk in the Downtown Eastside. This includes 3,000 who are homeless and 4,700 at high risk in privately run SRO’s. Organizations in the DTES are uniting more than ever to ensure this unprecedented threat does not disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in the community. DTES Response mobilizes resources and coordinating operations to immediately respond to this crisis.

Find out more about the DTES Response here.

Donate to the Binners’ Project ‘income replacement’ initiative during COVID-19

Binners’ Project made the hard decision to suspend all back-of-house waste sorting, public representation and event programs until further notice to protect their members from COVID-19. To compensate binners for their lost wages, the Binners’ Project started an ‘income replacement’ initiative. Please consider donating to help support Binners during this time.

Learn more and make a donation here.

You can also support the Binners by purchasing a Binners Hook by donation! Though many of the shifts for Binners are suspended for the time being, you can continue to leave your bottles either hanging on your Binners Hook or in your alley. This provides the Binners with another source of income during this time. Get connected with the Binners’ Project to get your own hook!

Buy Megaphone Magazine online

If you’ve ever walked down the streets in Vancouver, you may have come across a Megaphone Magazine vendor selling the latest issue of the magazine! Given the need for social distancing and for the safety of vendors, folks can now purchase the latest edition (and all subsequent editions) of the magazine online. You can choose for your donation to be evenly distributed among vendors, or if you have a vendor that you usually purchase from, you’ll have the option to specify that as well.

For the month of May, you can not only buy the latest edition of Megaphone Magazine, but you can also purchase your own copy of Voices of the Street, a street literary anthology with pieces by Megaphone vendors and other members of the community!

Buy your copy of the latest Megaphone Magazine here.

Order Meals from Tayybeh: A Celebration of Syrian Cuisine

Tayybeh, the Arabic word for “kind” and “delicious,” is a food company and social enterprise that is taking Vancouver by storm! Tayybeh provides Syrian women chefs a flourishing experience, a source of income and community connections. During the month of May you can support this social enterprise by ordering meals in advance every Tuesday and Friday. You can choose contactless delivery to your doorstep or you can pick your order up from their kitchen.

Browse the menu and order here.

Another great way to help out is to maintain social distance and stay home if you can. But staying home doesn’t have to be boring! Check out our picks for past programming that we’ve done to help you stay engaged. Read more!

Last Updated May 4, 2020