How to Help Our Whidbey Island Community During COVID-19
Published on March 20, 2020
The situation surrounding COVID-19 is an ever-evolving one, but one thing is certain: Our community needs us right now! If you are looking for ways to help out your neighbors here on Whidbey Island, there are many ways that we can look out for each other.
Here are just a few ideas:
1. Stay informed.
With the situation changing day by day (and sometimes hour by hour), it’s important to stay aware of what’s happening around you. Following local and national news as well as checking in with friends and family is especially important during this time.
It’s also important to reference the dates of everything that you’re reading and sharing. Information that was relevant a week ago may no longer be true today.
You can reference the latest COVID-19 updates for Island County here.
2. Donate food & money to community organizations.
Many people have suddenly found themselves without a job, and many people in our community need our continued support. You might consider donating food or money to places like North Whidbey Help House, and you’ll find more ideas for where to donate food and money on Whidbey Island here.
3. Keep supporting local businesses.
Many restaurants and eateries on Whidbey Island are still open for takeout and deliveries. Consider supporting your favorite local spot right now (especially since dine-in is not currently allowed in Washington).
You can find a list of 34 restaurants for takeout and delivery on Whidbey Island right here!
But we also can’t forget about other types of businesses. Many local shops already allow you to order items online, and many are now offering delivery through this time. If you have a local business that you love, check their website, Facebook, and Instagram pages to see how you can support them.
4. Buy gift cards to use at a later date.
Whether local businesses are experiencing significantly reduced foot traffic or they had to close their doors altogether, many businesses have an immediate need for cash flow. Buying a gift card now to use at a later date is a helpful way to support the community right now all while shopping local. Need to buy birthday gifts or holiday presents anyway? Now might be the perfect time.
5. Help promote your favorite businesses and organizations by sharing their content and leaving them reviews.
Businesses and orgs need help getting the word out right now, whether it’s about a special offer or service they’re providing or it’s info about a specific type of donation they need. If you can’t buy or donate anything right now, sharing the info with others is a free way to keep supporting the community.
Right now is also a great time to leave your favorite businesses reviews on Facebook, Yelp, Google, etc. These reviews matter a lot to businesses!
6. Tip generously.
Many of us are relying on others to help us at this time, whether we’re ordering our groceries online or having our next meal delivered. Consider tipping extra generously right now!
7. Donate extra supplies.
Maybe you stocked up on toilet paper last month, or maybe you have a couple of hand sanitizer bottles to spare. There are organizations and people out there who may be struggling to find the supplies they need right now.
8. Check in on your vulnerable neighbors.
Do you have people in your community or neighborhood who could use a check-in right now? Especially older neighbors and those with existing health conditions may need extra care at the moment. Ask how you can help while keeping everyone as safe as possible—maybe you can run errands for someone, or help care for a pet.
9. See how you can support parents right now.
Many people are suddenly finding themselves working from home AND having to take care of their kids right now. It’s already a challenging task, but add in the fact that many of us are practicing social distancing and cannot leave the home, and many people are going to be needing extra support in the coming days. This might look like frequently checking in with your parent friends, seeing where you can trade homeschooling resources, etc.
10. Follow the hashtag #WhidbeyTogether on Facebook and Instagram to stay connected.
This newly created hashtag will be a great resource for our community in the coming days—people can post needs, donations/services they’re offering others, and stories of our community banding together here.
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