As the number of coronavirus cases in the United States increases and the death toll soars over 100,000 across the country, it’s easy to feel helpless and unable to fight back or help push back against the situation at hand. After all, this is a disease that we’re trying to fight—we can’t send our military off to physically fight it. It may seem like there’s nothing you can do to help combat COVID-19, but that’s not true. Local and national non-profit organizations are struggling to keep up with the demands of those who need their help as people continue to get sick, lose their jobs, or watch their schools or businesses shut down. This increased demand for non-profit help means that non-profits, in turn, need more help.
If you’d like to help however you can during this pandemic, here are some larger non-profit organizations that could use the help. Check with smaller, local non-profit organizations around you as well—they could also use the help.
American Red Cross / America’s Blood Center: The cancellation of blood drives across the country has led to a severe blood shortage, especially for the American Red Cross. Healthy individuals are being asked to make an appointment and donate their blood to maintain a substantial supply of blood: contact the Red Cross here to make an appointment, or contact America’s Blood Centers to get in touch with community-based and independent blood centers near you.
CDC Foundation: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been at the forefront of determining the guidelines and best practices for how the public handles the coronavirus. The CDC Foundation supports this critical work that they’re doing for health protection and is raising emergency response funds so that the CDC can respond to COVID-19. If you’d like to contribute to this fund, donate here.
National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources (NAEIR): This foundation collects any excess inventory from businesses so that it can be redistributed to schools, churches, and non-profit organizations across the country. This is especially helpful for businesses to be aware of as places slowly start to open back up because they can cull inventory, clear out warehouses, and donate any unwanted or overstocked items to be used elsewhere. To donate, you can fill out a form here or call 1-800-562-0955.
Team Rubicon: Team Rubicon is a group of military veterans that help people respond to and recover from disasters. Over the past few months, they’ve helped local, state, and federal partners deliver food, water, and shelter to those in need, have run testing sites and staff call centers, and have transported cruise ship passengers finished with their mandatory quarantine home. To assist Team Rubicon, you can donate here.