COVID-19: How Can I Help?

On Monday, March 16, 2020, following the Governor's Executive Order to close NC schools, the Love Out Loud team met to completely re-orient and adapt our work around three priorities:

      1. Answering the question, “How can I help?”
      2. Staying connected to partners across all sectors (nonprofit, faith, health, business, government, etc) and sharing key information
      3. Grounding people’s hearts in God

And, that work continues!! As we begin to turn the corner on the pandemic, many of you are asking "How Can I Help?"  We've created this page to highlight urgent and immediate needs in our community. 

STEP ONE: Wondering if you should volunteer? CLICK HERE FOR VOLUNTEER HEALTH GUIDELINES. 

SOME CURRENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

For more opportunities "custom fit" for you, be sure to fill out your profile on BASE, indicating the causes/passions you care about and the skills/interests you have. Just log in or sign up, and click "View Profile" in the upper right. Once you've updated those items, look for suggestions on your Dashboard!

  • MEALS ON WHEELS DRIVERS: Hot Meal Program Volunteers are needed to deliver hot, nutritious meals to seniors in Forsyth County who are unable to leave their home and need help with meals. The meals are delivered between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. CLICK HERE for more information from Senior Services.
  • RUPERT BELL SPRING HEALTH FAIR: A broad network of partners is collaborating for a Health Fair at Rupert Bell Park on Saturday, April 24. Volunteers are needed in a variety of roles. CLICK HERE for more and to sign up.

  • SAMARITAN MINISTRIES SOUP KITCHEN HELP: While many of the volunteer opportunities (such as overnight monitors) remain suspended, Samaritan Ministries has a critical need for volunteers in the Soup Kitchen for both lunch and dinner. CLICK HERE to learn more and sign up.

  • THE SALVATION ARMY: The Salvation Army is in need of volunteers to assist with their two food pantries: in Winston-Salem and in Kernersville. These food pantries distribute more than 100 food boxes each day families facing hunger. Volunteer information is HERE.  You must be 18 or older to volunteer in Winston-Salem and 16 or older in Kernersville.
  • THE SECU FAMILY HOUSE: The SECU Family House is a compassionate, comfortable alternative to a hospital waiting room or an expensive hotel for people facing the challenge of out-of-town medical care. While they were closed due to the pandemic earlier, they have since re-opened. While there are no on-site volunteer opportunities at this time, there are numerous ways you can support families facing medical challenges. CLICK HERE for more.
  • HOPE of Winston-Salem is continuing to create and distribute healthy food into vulnerable neighborhoods. They have an immediate need for Drivers & Volunteers for Additional Deliveries: CLICK HERE to sign up for Friday pick-ups; CLICK HERE to sign up for Sunday deliveries. Contact: info@hopews.org
  • City with Dwellings: In a new project, City with Dwellings is working on housing units to be leased by the community they serve. These unites need work before they can be inspected and approved. While some units need a deep cleaning or painting and simple repair, several units need work requiring a moderate amount of skill.
      1. If you have moderate home improvement or renovation skills, (ranging from installing carpet to replacing windows): we need your help.
      2. If you are able to paint or clean: we need your help.
      3. If you can contribute one day or one week: we need your help

    Recognizing the need for caution and safety related to Covid-19, we will restrict work crews to 2-3 people per unit, providing ample space for social distancing, provide masks, and adhere to other guidelines. These units have been unoccupied in recent months. Projects begin Monday, July 20th. The project supplies are provided, but bring your own tools If you (or a group!) are interested and able to help, please contact Emily Norris at emily@citywithdwellings.org or 336.971.4897

  • American Red Cross:   COVID-19 has disrupted the communities of many, but the need for blood to help patients in need hasn’t changed. Here are several ways you can help out:
    • Red Cross is seeking Blood Drive Volunteers to assist at the Blood Donation Center to greet and register donors. CLICK HERE to volunteer.
    • Red Cross is also seeking Transportation Volunteers to deliver blood to area hospitals. CLICK HERE to make deliveries.
    • Finally, there is a severe blood shortage, and healthy, eligible donors are urgently needed. This is due to blood drive cancellations across the country and it is expected to worsen. Healthy Donors are also needed to donate blood. Eligible and healthy donors in W-S can schedule appointments by CLICKING HERE.       

VOLUNTEER IN THE EDUCATION SPHERE

Click the image below for a message from the Equity Forsyth Coalition. 

Here's a look at some of the great work happening in remote learning centers:

Check back on this page for additional tutoring and educational support opportunities. AND, be sure to complete your profile on BASE to include "Education and Mentorship" on your Causes and Passions. (To Do so: Login, Click your photo or initials on the top right of this page, Choose "View Profile," and Click "Manage Passions & Causes.") 

  • Supples for Our Safe Return to School: One of our Title I schools has reached out in great need of the supplies listed below to support a safe return to school for their students. Others likely have similar needs. If you can help out, items can be dropped off at the Love Out Loud offices: 1650 Ivy Avenue, WS, 27105. Email us to arrange a time: serve@loveoutloudws.com. You can also contribute financially by indicating "Education" at: loveoutloud.salsalabs.org/give
    • child size masks
    • large hooks for their book bags and coats
    • zippered pencil pouches
    • composition notebooks(non-spiraled, wide ruled)
    • these will be for around 90 students
    • 2 classes wanted water bottle for their students and that is about 36 students
    • 1 class would like individual play dough for about 20 students
    • Clorox Wipes
  • Toturs at the new Marie Roseboro Learning Lab: Volunteer to serve in Cleveland Avenue Homes: Email us at serve@loveoutloudws.com for more!

  • CDL DRIVERS: We (as a community) have a number of families able to take part of remote learning centers but in need of transportation. We also have a number of busses available to help meet that need. HOWEVER, we are in need of CDL drivers to meet the need. There is funding to pay drivers if needed. Please email serve@loveoutloudws.com if you have a CDL license and might be able to support these families.

  • TUTORS ARE NEEDED ON TUESDAY AFTERNOONS: Remote learning centers are being established in our vulnerable communities to make sure every student and family in our county is supported and flourishes--particularly those often on the margins. You can help by tutoring on Tuesday afternoons at Open Arms Community by CLICKING HERE.

  • TUTORS AND READING BUDDIES: As school begins, the education focus of the Love Community Development Corporation (LoveCDC) includes virtual tutoring and reading buddies for Kindergarten through 3rd grade. CLICK HERE to learn more.

  • FLOURISH NEEDS TUTORS AND CHILDCARE: The Shalom Project has recently launched a program called Flourish. Flourish is a high-impact poverty reduction model aimed to support women and their families who are on their journey out of poverty. This initiative is designed to bring together committed individuals and Flourish participants in a myriad of ways to work on goal setting, skill development, and relationship-building to facilitate whole-person wellness necessary for families to transition out of poverty. With the program meeting on Monday evenings, volunteers are needed to help with tutoring and childcare. CLICK HERE to sign up.

 

DONATIONS NEEDED

  • Help Fund Remote Learning Centers (& Scholarships), School Supplies, Headphones, Desks/Chairs, and more. 

  • Elder Outreach: The Sticht Center at Wake Forest Baptist Health is providing weekly food boxes to elders who receive in-home health visits. $20 covers the cost of a box of locally grown produce. DONATE HERE and choose "Elder Outreach/FoodRx" on the drop-down menu to contribute to caring for these neighbors.
  • Crisis Control is in need of donations to their client choice food pantry. See more information here. Drop Off's can be made at their Winston-Salem (200 East Tenth Street, 27101) or Kernersville (431 W Bodenhamer St., 27284) Locations. 

    If you'd like to donate to local disaster relief efforts through Love Out Loud, CLICK HERE and designate your donation to "disaster relief" 

 SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS 

The Love Out Loud Team offered the following prayer over our community on July 16, 2020

CLICK HERE for 24/7 Prayer Winston-Salem

CLICK HERE for a full list of updates and reflections of the Love Out Loud team. 

CLICK HERE for prayers, scriptures, and readings that ground the Love Out Loud team's work the week of March 23, 2020.

 

Love Out Loud and organizations in our community will continue to monitor the situation in the days and weeks ahead and make prudent decisions to ensure the safety of our staff, volunteers, and community.