NO NEIGHBORS IN NEED NYC
This is a guide for New Yorkers to: i) contribute to the fight against the Coronavirus and; ii) ensure that no neighbors remain in need in NYC during this crisis and iii) recommend ideas to policy-makers/civic leaders (pg 8). Crowdsourced initially from a small group of City and nonprofit employees, this resource needs your help to be kept up to date. Thank you for contributing your time, effort and financial resources where possible. And please share widely! If there are any questions, email me at carol.meiyan@gmail.com.
Chinese version, complete with step-by-step instructions for how to translate a website, here: http://tinyurl.com/NoNeighborsinNeedNYCchinese
Spanish version here: https://tinyurl.com/NoNeighborsinNeedNYCSpanish
IMMEDIATE RESOURCES FOR IF YOU ARE IN NEED
Item | Description | Organizations |
Deliveries via cyclists | A collective of cyclists willing to courier supplies to people in need for free, using the low contact methods first implemented in Wuhan | |
Grocery Delivery | Request a delivery | Invisible Hands Brooklyn Mutual Aid Queens Mutual Aid See Mutual Aid Networks in your neighborhood |
Food distribution in NYC | A map for locations of hot food services, food pantries or grab and go meal services From Jasmin Chang to Everyone: (06:18 PM) United Way NYC’s Plentiful app also provides a map and order request services for NYC food pantries and soup kitchens | Food assistance locations https://www.foodbanknyc.org/get-help/ |
Grab & Go lunches for students | Available at every public school in New York City, any school is fine (doesn’t have to be your school) | More information from NYC DOE here Grab & Go breakfast/lunch available for any student at the entrance of every DOE school building from 7.30am-1.30pm |
Grab & Go lunches for students | Red Rabbit (a school food vendor) is delivering grab & go breakfasts & lunches for any child in the Harlem & Bronx communities at the following times/locations: | 8:00am-8:20 @ 15rd & 8th Ave (Polo Grounds) 8:30am-8:50 @ 150th & Broadway 9:00am-9:20 @ 142nd & Lenox Ave 9:30am-9:45 @ 135th & 5th Ave 10:00am-10:45 @Boys Prep CS 192 East 151st (Bronx) 11:00am-12:00pm @ 1 East 104th St - Capital Prep East Harlem |
Emergency childcare | For healthcare and transit workers, emergency childcare is available at select public schools in NYC An app for parents to send childcare requests to their informal network, that allows their family or friends to opt-in/out quickly by text | NYC Department of Education Wiggle Room |
Get internet | Use Comcast’s Xfinity Wifi network for free nationwide, or sign up for 2 months free at Comcast Free Access to Spectrum Broadband For 60 Days For New K-12 and College Students Altice free broadband for students Mint Mobile Free unlimited data until Apr 14th | Map of Xfinity hotspots, www.xfinity.com/wifi. Once at a hotspot, select the “xfinitywifi” network, then launch a browser. Comcast https://corporate.comcast.com/covid-19 Spectrum To enroll call 1-844-488-8395. Installation fees will be waived for new student households. Altice Altice USA Brings Free Broadband to K-12 and College Students During Coronavirus Pandemic Mint Mobile https://www.mintmawe@obile.com/unlimited/ |
“Learn at Home | NYC DOE provided resources to help parents guide kids through remote learning | NYC DOE Guidelines for Parents https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/learn-at-home Form to request a remote learning device: https://coronavirus.schools.nyc/remotelearningdevices The Transit Museum is moving their Transit Tots series online. Scholastic launched a Learn at Home website that has free activities and daily lessons for kids pre-K to 6 and up. PBS launched an online science lab for teens, and NASA has a teachable moments blog that talks about the latest discoveries of our universe. Live-streaming at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the San Diego Zoo Fun learning information - The Kids Should See This |
Interest-free loans for businesses Grant support to keep employees for small businesses | Businesses with <100 employees who have seen sales decreases of 25% or more will be eligible for zero interest loans of up to $75,000 to help mitigate losses in profit Businesses with <5 employees are eligible for a grant to cover 40% of payroll costs for two months to help retain employees. | Department of Small Business Services https://www1.nyc.gov/site/sbs/businesses/covid19-business-outreach.page |
Get a line of credit | Coronavirus Financial Impact Loan Program provides $2000-$5000 interest-free loans to residents of NYC, Westchester or Long Island affected by the Coronavirus | Hebrew Free Loan Society |
Seek safety from domestic violence | Help for anyone co-quarantined with an abuser and worried about having to self-isolate in a dangerous home situation | Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, 1800-787-3224, chat at thehotline.org |
Pets and COVID 19 | NYC’s Animal Care Center Resources: ACC and ASPCA | NYC PET Hotline: 877-204-8821 ASPCA Free Pet Food Distribution Helpline at (800) 738-9437 for more information and to request an appointment. Animal Medical Center veterinary hospital amcny.org/financial-assistance. positivetails.org/apply-for-assistance |
And one of the best articles on the epidemiology of the virus to remind us of why social distancing is crucial https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca
To convince someone you care about to stay in, start the conversation:
How to Help New Yorkers From Home
Approach | Description | Organizations Organizing |
Donate spare computing power to help research scientists | Gamers are invited to lend their computing power to help with disease research conducted by Folding@Homes | How to: https://wccftech.com/gamers-help-us-beat-coronavirus-covid-19/ See announcement: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-wants-gamers-to-fight-covid-19 |
Contribute machine learning knowhow to analyze the Covid-19 research dataset - CORD-19 | Call to action for the AI research community, which can employ machine learning techniques to surface unique insights from this machine readable open data set Kaggle COVID-19 Global Forecasting Challenge | https://pages.semanticscholar.org/coronavirus-research |
Use your medtech knowledge to assess this and provide feedback | Can ventilator machines be shared by 2-4 people? | |
Track symptoms to help medical researchers at Mt. Sinai | c | Everyone can participate. To help stop COVID-19 in New York City,
To learn more about this effort, visit www.mountsinai.org/stopcovidnyc. |
Approach | Description | Organizations Organizing |
Sponsor Laptops | Laptops for remote learning | TK - please help! |
Sponsor wifi hotspots | Internet connection | TK - please help! |
Virtual tutoring and reading support for students | Sign up for New York Cares COVID-19 volunteer campaign | |
Prep job-seekers virtually | Volunteer in online or telephone practice interviews and networking sessions with job seekers, which expand their networks and advance their job searches during this challenging time | Upwardly Global https://www.upwardlyglobal.org/support-us/become-a-volunteer/ |
Donate new computers | Grand Central Neighborhoods computers are outdated | |
Free online textbooks | To support those who have to travel and would lose access to physical textbooks | |
Fundraise / sponsor masks for hospitals | Healthcare workers at Bellevue set up direct supply chain to access respiratory masks ($2.50 / mask) | https://www.gofundme.com/f/x43rkz-critical-protective-gear-for-healthcare-workers |
Approach | Description | Organizations Organizing |
Emergency Cash Aid | Funds for service workers quarantined or sick who are losing out on wages | National Domestic Workers Alliance fund for domestic workers who need financial coverage to stay home https://secure.actblue.com/donate/coronavirus-care-fund Give Directly is sending $1000 straight to SNAP recipients, they only started with enough funding for 200 https://www.givedirectly.org/covid-19/ Restore NYC Help survivors of sex trafficking affected by COVID-19 https://donate.restorenyc.org/campaign/restore-nyc-covid-19-relief-and-stabilization-fund/c277099 Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC)’s Dumplings Against Hate, Small Business Relief Fund Make a donation in the amount of your favorite meal, as if you were at your favorite restaurant, and the money will go to businesses in dire need. Please be generous and ‘buy’ up a whole banquet! All funds raised will go to Asian Americans For Equality’s Emergency Small Business Relief Fund. https://www.dumplingsagainsthate.com Service Workers Coalition - Venmo @bkservicecoalition // serviceworkerscoalition@gmail.com Service2Service relief fund for service/gig/freelance workers - Google Form Fund for undocumented workers https://twitter.com/raisenyc/status/1239939161760686080 BKShowsLove Emergency Fund for Hourly Workers: |
Emergency Meals-on-Wheels Deliveries to High-Risk Seniors by Unemployed Uber Drivers | Meals on Wheels is experiencing a massive increase in demand, and 85,000 predominantly immigrant Uber drivers are now jobless and potentially ineligible for unemployment. Help solve both problems by donating to cover drivers’ vehicle costs so they can deliver meals to high-risk seniors (drivers pay around $2000/month vehicle costs). | Labor Delivers: Emergency Meals-on-Wheels Deliveries to High-Risk Seniors by Unemployed Uber Drivers |
Approach | Description | Organizations Organizing |
Deliver meals | Volunteer to help deliver meals | Invisible Hands https://www.invisiblehandsdeliver.com/ Khalsa Aid USA https://tinyurl.com/KA-COVID19 |
Sponsor meals | Donate to support nonprofits throughout the city in providing meals to students, families, homeless in need | (Donations thru Apr 17 will be matched by the Board of Directors; volunteer opportunities are open only to those already registered, no new orientations until April) Crossroads Community Services (midtown - provides hot meals 3 times/week, food pantry, and nightly women’s shelter) 212-378-0229 Alliance for Positive Change (pre-packaged meals for clients who drop in for healthcare services) CHiPs (accepts cash or food donations) - Soup kitchen wish list (718) 237-2962 Supporting emergency food program and the work of Plentiful App to connect pantries and clients in need Khalsa Aid USA (accepts veg food donations) https://tinyurl.com/KA-COVID19 |
Donate food from restaurant closures | If you own a restaurant and are suspending operations | |
Donate Hygiene Kits (unused) - E.g. Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, hampoo, Deodorant (stick), Socks, Wash Cloth/Towel, Sanitary napkins and tampons | Grand Central Neighborhood Donations Address - 120 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016 Bowery Mission needs supplies to fight covid-19 CHiPs - Frances Residence wish list Food Bank for NYC - collecting feminine hygiene and personal care products (unopened). ehill@foodbanknyc.org, 212.566.7855 ext. 2247 | |
General Donations | Goodwill Industries of NY and NJ | |
HOW TO HELP NEW YORKERS IF YOU ARE HEALTHY AND MOBILE
Approach | Organizations Organizing |
Distribute food and care packages | North Brooklyn Angels - In need of healthy and diligently socially-distant volunteers to prepare and distribute sanitation packages Bowery Mission needs healthy volunteers Grand Central Neighborhood Soup Kitchen Address - 120 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016 Phone - 212-883-0680 Ext. 108 Email - admin@gcnssc.org Crossroads Community Services (midtown - provides hot meals 3 times/week, food pantry, and nightly women’s shelter) 212-378-0229 First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry Address: 89-60 164th Street, Jamaica, NY 11432 Phone: (718) 526-4775 Email: bbaker@firstchurchjamaica.org WIN NYC (Women in need) Food Bank for NyYC - repack donated feminine and personal care items at our Bronx Warehouse on Saturday, March 21 Goodwill Industries of NY and NJ Bedstuy Strong - variety of ways to help deliver food or support financially |
Assist immigrants | New Sanctuary Coalition - Need volunteers for remote work to support immigrants |
Help the Homeless | |
Donate blood | The American Red Cross needs your help as we face a severe blood shortage (blood can only be banked for a few weeks), because drives were cancelled and donations plummeted in the last few weeks https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/coronavirus--covid-19--and-blood-donation.html |
MORE NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED WAYS TO HELP NEW YORKERS
A group of volunteers are coordinating local responses, including building on the growing Mutual Aid Network developed in your neighborhood. You can reach NYCCoronavirus@gmail.com, on Twitter and review their Facebook Group and Facebook Page
INTERNATIONAL NEEDS
Organization | Description | |
RefugePoint | Assist with preparations for the coronavirus in refugee camps in Africa | |
International Rescue Committee | Assist with preparations for the coronavirus in refugee camps all over the world. Refugees tend to have a higher rate of underlying health issues, and usually live in more crowded conditions where they’d be more susceptible to the virus. | https://www.rescue.org/article/coronavirus-update-who-will-be-hit-hardest-outbreak |
International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), in collaboration with the National Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and the International Committee of the Red XD Cross (ICRC) | Assist with the global emergency 32M Swiss francs (USD 33M) appeal to support community-based health activities, access to basic services, and the management of misinformation and stigma | https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/press-release/ifrc-majorly-ramp-coronavirus-programmes-across-globe/ |
Medecins Sans Frontieres | Help Doctors Without Borders equip and protect European healthcare workers as well as advocate for the evacuation of at-risk refugees in overcrowded Greek camps |
PROGRAM / POLICY IDEAS TO RECOMMEND TO PUBLIC SERVANTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS
Thank you for your continued contributions to this list of ideas. We’re trying to get them in front of the right persons, so please keep adding your thoughts and suggestions in! - Carol
Proposal | Target Population | Example/Developments |
Economic relief for independent contractors | Freelance workers e.g. Uber drivers | |
Extend small business support to independent contractors / gig economy workers | Freelance workers | |
Revolving credit line for small businesses | Micro business-owners | Department of Small Business Services Loans Hebrew Free Loan Society’s interest-free loans |
Manage an emergency fund for sick time off for workers (grants / loans to cover payroll) | Workers without sufficient sick time off | Paid sick time off for some workers was passed in 2nd emergency bill by Congress and signed by the President on Mar 18 |
Provide emergency childcare | Frontline workers | |
Help freelancers to plan for the business impact of the Coronavirus | Freelancer workers | https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2020/03/11/what-freelancers-need-to-know-about-coronavirus/ |
Wage subsidies for businesses to keep workers employed | Business owners Indirectly to benefit vulnerable hourly/low-age workers | NYC SBS providing very small businesses grants Currently considered for fiscal stimulus bill |
Income support for most vulnerable, such as increasing public benefits, and utility subsidies etc. | Laid off workers who work in hourly/low-wage jobs with little job security | UBI- either unlimited, or at least for the duration of the health crisis Currently considered for fiscal stimulus bill |
Rent freezes for small restaurants | Small F&B business owners | |
Building beds/cots for hospitals | They and other facilities will be overrun. | Does anyone have corporate contacts with IKEA or another furniture supplier? |
Emergency funding to support healthcare for communities living in high pollution areas | Low income latinx, african american, hassidic jewish and other communities of color living in environmentally unjust areas like South Williamsburg, with high rates of respiratory illnesses due to surrounding pollution, ageing population and lack of access to healthcare | |
Push to shut down nonessential construction | Construction workers in the city are being made to come to work on nonessential projects. Conditions are unsanitary, sometimes crowded, and they do not have the safety masks required. Subcontractors who want to let their workers stay home can’t because they’ll be sued since the city hasn’t categorized them nonessential. | https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/nyregion/coronavirus-nyc-construction.html https://thecity.nyc/2020/03/nyc-construction-workers-on-job-amid-coronavirus-concerns.html |