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Over the last few weeks (I know it feels like bloody months already), London has seen a huge number of new initiatives in response to the coronavirus crisis. From food deliveries and community kitchens to programmes helping with people’s mental and physical wellbeing, Londoners have come together for each other like never before.
Many of these schemes need volunteers to help them run. We’ve been collecting information about initiatives in the capital on our How to Help page. If you have a project that you’d like to tell us about, email helplondon@timeout.com.
There are a couple of big ones, when it comes to volunteering. The NHS (God bless it) is looking for help. Hundreds of thousands of people have already come forward across the country. You can join them via the GoodSam app. Team London, from the Mayor’s Office, has tons of volunteering opportunities across the capital. You can search by area and stipulate how far from where you live you are prepared/allowed to travel. Help London lists small business that are still trading with deliveries etc. It also has a section of its site devoted to volunteering.
More general volunteering opportunities are also available on Reach’s site. The charity is the biggest staffer of the voluntary sector, with thousands of positions across the country.
Food is obviously a huge issue at the moment. Along with local initiatives, the Trussell Trust runs food banks, which are in demand as never before as people struggle to feed their families. It’s looking for drivers and warehouse assistants across the city. Food Cycle is currently not able to serve meals in its community kitchens, so has pivoted to home delivery. It needs volunteers to help with this. FareShare and Brixton’s Compliments of the House are two charities collecting surplus food and helping redistribute it to those in most desperate need. Both are looking for help.
If you’re interested in ways to help near home, check the UK list of Covid-19 Mutual Aid groups for hyper-local (sometimes just a few streets) areas.
And whatever you do, be safe!
We have details of tons more organisations, initiatives and opportunities on our How to Help page.
Find the latest news and updates from across the capital here.