Life As We Know It (COVID-19 Resource List)

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Six o’clock, T.V. hour, don’t get caught in foreign tower
Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn
Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting
Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate
Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down
Watch your heel crush, crush, uh oh
This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering clear
A tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies
Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.
–REM

WWII and the Holocaust, the great depression, the refugee crisis are all examples of history and even more current world events so far removed from myself, I’ve only ever wondered what it would feel like to have your world stop. The rhythms of everyday life–wake, school, work, home, eat, sleep, repeat–feels so automatic, so set in stone, it is a complete paradigm shift to see life as we know it come to a halt.

Granted, not much has changed for me or my family, but we can all feel it. This looming unknown. (**I wrote this sentence last Wednesday before the school closures and mass cancellations. However, there are still a lot of unknowns and thankfully, for the time being we are still safe and healthy.)

I’m wary to say this out loud as I don’t want to be mistaken for indulging in drama, but there is some strange sense of relief found in knowing that it’s OK to drop the usual ways of life when there are more important things at stake. Like when one of my children is sick and I realize that letting everything else go by the wayside is actually the better thing to do even when at first it feels slightly irresponsible. I have found myself thinking, “It’s OK that I’m up at 3 in the morning. My child needs me and this is what I should be doing. Everyone else will have to understand and adjust if I need to take a nap tomorrow and order pizza for dinner.”  It’s not that I want my kids to be sick, or that I want a global pandemic, but sometimes the rules of the modern adult world feel ridiculously important until we are forced to remember that there are bigger things at stake than Ted’s mandatory 10 o’clock meeting regarding proper memo protocol.

But it’s also unnerving. We’ve all had an experience that reminded us that life can change in the blink of an eye, without any warning. But we’ve never experienced that on a global level all at the same time. We are in uncharted territory. But as I mentioned earlier, previous generations have had their uncharted territories as well. It’s new, but also nothing new. They made their way and we will make ours

We will get through this. We’ll be OK, even if no one is sure what OK will look like. The important thing is not if we get through it, but how. Right now so many things are wildly out of our hands, but how we act and react during these times is what we can control. We will need each other now more than ever, even–ironically–as we practice social distancing at the same time.

I compiled a list, aided by my Instagram followers, for ideas and ways we can help each other during this time and for resources we may need as we’re all homebound for the foreseeable future. I know many of us are aware of things we can do to help, but there are some great ideas and resources I didn’t know about. Also, I always appreciate having a list in one place. Please feel free to share this list and add anything else in the comments below.

RESOURCES AND WAYS TO HELP DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC

–Due to blood drive cancellations there is a high need for blood donations. Check with the Red Cross to see where and how you can donate blood.</

–Volunteer to drive for a Foodbank as many of their volunteers are elderly and part of the high risk population. –@jennaarko

–Along the same lines, check in with your elderly neighbors or fan immune compromised family and offer to get groceries, run errands for them.  –@takethemameal

–Create a Google doc where you can sign up for things you can give–like rides for deliveries, etc–and where you and/or others can sign up for things they need. Send it around to your neighbors.  –@rondicasmith

–Reach out to those if your circle of influence who already deal with mental illness such as depression, anxiety, etc. as they may be feeling the effects of this pandemic on a deeper level. Just reaching out can help more than you know. –@melissakhillman

–Take your kids to a local bookstore and purchase some books. This not only supports the local economy but provides extra food for kids’ brains as they’re off of school!  –@camilleandros

–The best way to help families could be donating money to local food banks, which you can probably do online without about human contact.  –@ahstilley
(In Ohio, you can donate to the FreeStore FoodBank. )

–Buy merch from your favorite bands! Touring musicians are taking a massive hit at the moment. Also, if you have an amazon prime subscription and know someone who needs some basic items but can’t or shouldn’t leave the house right now, send them stuff!  –@lindsaygravesmusic<

–Buy gift certificates from your favorite restaurants (online, if possible) to be used later but they get the revenue now. –@allisen.m

–A really simple helpful thing people can do is offer to do a grocery run for elderly neighbors or others who are compromised. A friend offered that for us, and I actually found myself in tears at the offer because I’d been holding so much anxiety about going to the store and potentially bringing the virus home to my immunocompromised son.  –@cupofthree_

–the libraries closed unexpectedly today, and I have a surplus of books at home, so I’m going to put them on my porch and spread the word so neighbors can come get some to read to their kids.  –@talkwordytome_

–If you have tickets to an arts, music or theater event, consider donating ticket/ ticket $ (instead of a refund) to theater or the freelance artists. Those dependent on this for their income will also be struggling & be grateful.    –@jmanz79

Specific to Ohio
–Check out Mutual Aid Ohio: They are building a network of people who can support their neighbors through mutual aid in Central Ohio. You can join here, and fill out the form. https://www.facebook.com/groups/529751994623659/

1) Contact information
2) What help will you need? (You can leave blank anything that is not applicable)
3) What help can you give? (Again, you can leave blank anything that is not applicable)

If you have a need, we will match you up with someone who has that resource or skill.
If you have a resource or skill, we will match you up with someone who has that need.
Simple as that.  This is also connected to a Facebook group, Mutual Aid Central Ohio, where people are sharing resources that could be useful for you. Contact Kevin O’Donnell at kev.e.odonnell@gmail.com or 937-903-5414 if you have any questions/suggestions or would like to help manage this group. –@emilylkiger

Also, don’t forget to support your local small businesses during this time! Here’s a great reminder and explanation from a local Cincinnati restaurateur @jojokirkendall:

“I co-own a cafe and a restaurant (@1215winecoffee & @pleasantryotr), while my husband is a pediatrician and health researcher. I’ve never felt the contrast in our realities so clearly as this moment. He is rightly concerned about the world getting on board with social distancing, while I am explaining to him how long I think our businesses can survive with significantly reduced revenue (the answer is, not very long). You could call it #flattenthecurve vs. #supportsmallbusiness.

We are both right, and yet we seem to represent two sides of a zero sum game.

I don’t think anyone wants to prioritize economics over a serious health threat. But I really hope we can find a way to keep both issues in mind. We exist to build community, and if the small businesses go under, there will be no communities to go back to when we all emerge from our social isolation.

One small act my family has decided on: for the next weeks and months we’re going to get most of our dinners from local, independent restaurants. I feel comfortable going out to eat from time to time, and there will be plenty of carryout. If your livelihood is relatively safe during this time – can you try something like this too? I promise you, today more than ever, restaurant kitchens are cleaner than yours! Also today more than ever, making eye contact and sharing a hello with the person behind the counter can be a life-affirming act. No handshake needed.”

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU + YOUR FAMILY DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC

There are awesome FB groups to help parents who have homeschool forced upon them:

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