Coronavirus pandemic: What else can we do to help?

That looks pretty easy to make one of those masks, I submitted the form, they’re supposed to reply back

I think that’s a washington organization, I’m in Portland, I’ll see what happens

Eat more fish
Most American-caught fish goes to restaurants, and that market is collapsing. But according to the Environmental Defense Fund quoted in the LA Times “Over the past 20 years, American fisheries have become some of the best managed and most sustainable in the world thanks to policy reforms and the hard work of fishermen.” So if you eat fish, eat more using guidance from Seafood Watch to support your local fishing industry.

— Rex

Contribute idle computer time to COVID-19 research

For 19 years Folding@Home has taken advantage of idle time volunteered on home computers to help scientists study proteins, a key part of all viruses. They recently set up a special project “simulating the dynamics of COVID-19 proteins to hunt for new therapeutic opportunities.” You download and run software on a Linux, Mac, or Windows computer, and while your computer is idle (most of the time!), it runs simulations for the project.

— Rex

Today’s hiccup ate four of my posts here; lucky I kept copies and will repost.

— Rex

Offer specialized services to local support groups
A non-profit in your community might be able to use your high-demand skills while working from home. Examples include web site maintenance, social media manager, IT support, accounting, fundraising, and communications (e.g. writing press releases and web pages). Many regions have umbrella organizations like community foundations that can connect you with volunteer opportunities.

— Rex

Entertain your close neighbors
All over Italy, people confined to their homes and apartments are singing, playing instruments, juggling, leading exercise groups, and finding many other creative ways to lift the spirits of their neighbors. What unique skills could you share with close neighbors?

— Rex

Encourage sharing
A man in Encinitas, California, frustrated with toilet paper shortages, stood in a busy intersection with a sign reading “Share your toilet paper.” Drivers dropped off and picked up this uniquely American hoarding obsession for several hours. What else could you safely encourage people to share?

— Rex

Plant a victory garden and share the bounty
Business is booming at Los Angeles nurseries after they started up online ordering, parking lot pickups, and even home delivery. Most popular: vegetables. If you can’t afford nursery plants, buy seeds online. Helping new plants grow can be very calming, and soon enough you’ll have enough zucchini to feed the neighborhood.

— Rex

My sister who is a costume designer and seamstress for the Opera, 5th ave. Theatre, ballet ect. here in Seattle has along with the people who work in the Costume shops(and are now unemployed)have already signed up to make masks and anything else they might need at local Hospitals

Unless you need it spend that 1000 +/- that will be sent to you by supporting small local businesses once they reopen .

@rex

thank you for posting

I have some medical face masks.  I dropped by the fire department and they said they didn’t want them.  Call the Oregon Health Authority.  Monday normal hours.

I can see how they wouldn’t want masks from some random person, they need packaged ones from the supplier that are certified to be sterile and so forth.

Rosetta @ Home is another protein modeling initiative that anyone can donate computing resources to. Just install their software and choose to research for the Rosetta project.

Backcountry.com is paying their retail employees during the closures and are currently having a sale on their website. Patagonia closed their stores and stopped online ordering and are still paying their employees, but said they’d consider resuming online orders to some capacity. If there was something you were considering buying, you could see if it is available from a retailer who is supporting communities vs just trying to save their own bottom line.

Undocumented people are not being helped by the government. Locally we have an agency that provides legal, physical and financial help to undocumented people that is accepting donations. Maybe there’s a similar agency where you live. These people pick your food, cut up your meat, clean things and do all sorts of “essential” work (a word I’m sure will soon carry the opposite meaning and become a disparaging term soon.)

“all sorts of “essential” work (a word I’m sure will soon carry the opposite meaning and become a disparaging term soon.)”

You’re right Diane. It’s funny, in a very sad way, that far too many people look down on those who work with their hands/do manual labor, yet these are the people who are keeping the economy going such as it is. And when this is over, they’ll still get paid shit for wages and will still be looked down on.

We praise them as heroes so we don’t have to worry about how much they suffer under low wages and hazardous conditions.

Yeah, it’s politically expedient to demonize “illegal” immigrants but we’re finding that food will go unpicked without them and rot in  the field.  Doesn’t make a lot of sense.

“It’s funny, in a very sad way, that far too many people look down on those who work with their hands/do manual labor, yet these are the people who are keeping the economy going such as it is. And when this is over, they’ll still get paid shit for wages and will still be looked down on.”

Yup, a $15 minimum wage would be a step in the right direction