How to Support Your Local Community While Practicing Social Distancing - NYCM Insurance Blog

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May 12, 2020

How to Support Your Local Community While Practicing Social Distancing



Social distancing doesn’t have to mean cutting yourself away from your community entirely. During this time in history, it's more important than ever to support one another and the communities we work and live in. If you’ve been wanting to do more to support local businesses and organizations but aren’t sure how to do so within the confines of isolation, check out some ideas below:

Buy gift cards: Do you have a favorite local shop that you aren’t currently able to visit? Buy gift cards online now to use once businesses reopen their doors. Daydreaming about your next haircut? Reach out to your stylist or barber and see if you can pay for your next appointment in advance. Same goes for those itching for their next mani-pedi! Consider also buying gift cards to give to others for upcoming holidays.

Let someone else do the cooking: By practicing safe food handling guidelines, opening takeout windows, and offering curbside pickup, many restaurants have been able to continue operation. While it may not be practical for you to eat out every night of the week, consider getting takeout once in a while. Doing so takes some stress off of you (and less meals to cook!) and also helps your favorite local restaurant.

Shop local: While we’re all limiting the number of times we have to leave our homes as much as possible, we also need to continue to feed ourselves; which means the occasional trip to the grocery store. Support your local economy by passing up visits to the super-retailers and choosing to shop at some of the smaller stores instead. You might even find that some of the less-popular grocery spots are also less populated with other shoppers. Win-win!

Make a donation: Are you fortunate to still be working? If so, perhaps you want to spread the good fortune. Consider making a donation to your favorite local charity or non-profit organization. Many of these organizations rely on fundraising and social events for a significant portion of their revenue and may be struggling to keep the lights on. Give them a call or check their website to inquire about donation procedures.

Call your local food bank: Many food banks are seeing an increase of demand as more people face unemployment and seek assistance feeding themselves and their families. Call your local food bank to inquire what they’re in need of and ask how you can help.

Check in on your neighbors: Do you have a high-risk neighbor who may be in need of some assistance? Ask them if they could use some help (from a safe distance) and offer to run errands for them. As a reminder, people who are considered high-risk for contracting the novel coronavirus are the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, lung disease and heart disease. Only offer assistance if you do not fall into these categories yourself and believe you have the capacity to offer extra help.

Get involved in virtual programming: Many local organizations and businesses are providing virtual programming through social media outlets. Help your community out by getting involved in different initiatives and being an active community member. Aside from following the accounts of your favorite restaurants and shops, also look into what your local library and museums have been up to. Look for virtual concerts to enjoy, craft workshops to sign up for, and engaging read-alongs for the kiddos.

Engaging in these different activities can not only support the health of your community but can also boost your mood by helping you feel more connected to your neighbors, friends and favorite business-owners.

To read more about how NYCM Insurance is supporting local communities, click on the button below.