During a time of crisis, it is natural to want to help, express care, and give comfort to those most vulnerable. However COVID-19 sets many limitations on our ability to meaningfully connect with people. Some individuals must take extra precaution to self-isolate or are under institutional quarantine to stay healthy and safe. These stories highlight how communities are able to express human-centered design and connect with others in caring, thoughtful ways, despite the constraints of social isolation.
To explore stories about Care & Compassion, click on our collections or any of our tags below.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/26/navajo-nation-covid-19-youth-response-elders-health
Mona Gable
STAT
26 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Across Navajo Nation, young people are coming together to protect their elders through grassroots efforts and campaigns. They’ve created online campaigns, like Protect the Sacred and #NavajoStrong to help provide accurate information, collect donations, deliver medical supplies, and recruit medical professionals. They’ve come together on-the-ground, creating the Northern Dine Covid-19 Relief Effort to get clearing products, fresh food, and other supplies to households on the reservation.
https://voiceofoc.org/2020/05/how-orange-countys-visual-arts-world-is-coping-with-the-coronavirus
Richard Chang
Voice of OC
22 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Some arts organizations in Orange County, CA have found creative ways to deal with Covid-19 closures by bringing their collections online, creating digital programming, and reaching out to new audiences. For example, the Muckenthaler Cultural Center hands out weekly art kits to kids and seniors and reports donation support from an entirely new group of donors. Others have taken the opportunity to create new content and bring their collections online to engage with those stuck at home of all ages. Not all have been able to withstand the Covid-related closures and many art galleries have closed down for good.
https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2020/05/19/powwows-online-indigenous
Dylan Simard
Jennifer Alvarez
Cronkite News - Arizona PBS
19 May 2020
Broadcast TV News / 3-5 Minutes
Powwow season has been curtailed by the social distancing mandates set by the coronavirus, but a Facebook group called Social Distance Powwow is allowing tribes all over the world to participate in a virtual multi-tribal powwow. The group now has over 180,000 members and serves as a space for Indigenous people to share personal stories, sell Indigenous-made artwork, or celebrate their heritage. Nearly 60,000 people participated in one early online powwow, and the co-founders talk about how pleasantly surprised they were to form a space for healing.
https://civileats.com/2020/05/14/the-farm-to-food-bank-movement-aims-to-rescue-small-scale-farming-and-feed-the-hungry
Lynne Curry
Civil Eats
14 May 2020
Multi-Media / 1500-3000 Words
Supply chains have been disrupted with the restrictions imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic, and farmers are suffering from a lack of buying customers. Meanwhile, food banks are in dire straits as more and more people seek support after losing jobs to the pandemic. What's needed? A middle man. This article looks at a range of solutions across the United States in which organizations and community groups are stepping up to fill the gap between the two needs. They largely do this by purchasing, packaging, and distributing surplus product to local food banks who need more donations for the community.
https://www.100daysinappalachia.com/2020/05/a-pandemics-worth-of-triggers-are-causing-an-increase-in-relapses-across-the-country-heres-how-appalachians-are-coping
Fernando Alfonso III
100 Days in Appalachia
14 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Stay-at-home orders and social distancing can worsen opioid addiction problems, and so some health providers, social media, and agencies in opioid-heavy Appalachia have devised ways to turn a threat into an opportunity. To counter isolation and denial of in-person counseling, forums on Reddit have thrived as virtual support groups. Video conferencing has proved a boon to telemedicine and counselors, extending the reach of services. Treatment providers and even Kentucky's prisons are distributing medications in novel ways to help people maintain sobriety and avoid overdoses.
https://laist.com/2020/05/13/school_mental_health_hotline_coronavirus.php
Carla Javier
LAist
13 May 2020
Multi-Media / 800-1500 Words
The Los Angeles Unified school district has shifted how it’s helping to support students’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. By opening up a mental health hotline, they are able to connect students and their families with members of the Crisis Counseling and Intervention Services Unit to help provide emotional guidance and support. Since opening, they’ve already served over 3,500 individuals and are working to develop plans for long-term support.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/sports/horse-racing/coronavirus-horse-racing.html
Joe Drape
The New York Times
12 May 2020
Multi-Media / 1500-3000 Words
The restrictions imposed by the coronavirus have turned horseracing in Nebraska into an unexpected boon. City officials allowed racing tracks to be open—with precautions—because the horses' livelihoods depend on the jockeys' livelihoods. The grandstands are empty, masks are worn, and temperatures are taken regularly. People from all over the country are betting on the horses online, providing some income, albeit less money than usual. They are also enjoying the increase interest as a way to educate people on Nebraska's history with horse racing.
https://southerlymag.org/2020/05/12/how-a-coastal-louisiana-tribe-is-using-generations-of-resilience-to-handle-the-pandemic
Barry Yeoman
Southerly
12 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
The Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw has long had a culture of cyclicality which is now coming in handy during the Coronavirus pandemic. Because they assume that hardship will come after periods of abundance, tribal members prepare for times of scarcity by making do with less, strategizing new ways to produce food, and regularly checking in with elders to ensure their needs are met. The tribe also lives on the coast of Louisiana, so climate change and environmental degradation remain an issue that they include in their future-planning.
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/las-vegas-mural-project-brings-color-to-businesses-closed-by-coronavirus
Sonja Swanson
Next City
8 May 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
The City of Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency is providing funding for businesses closed by COVID-19 to board up their windows with public art. Offering up to $2,000 per business, its purpose is to help support local artists who have become unemployed, and bolster public safety when it comes to break-ins. So far, over 30 businesses have participated, with no mention of ending the program soon.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/us-journal/the-underground-efforts-to-get-masks-to-doctors
Anna Russell
The New Yorker
7 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Communities and medical professionals are working together to create their own mutual aid supply chain as shortages of personal protective equipment plague U.S. hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic. This "temporary but necessary" solution has helped disperse nearly 200,000 masks and thousands of gloves, gowns, goggles, and face shields to hospitals throughout the country by using using community members as the quality control and delivery team for equipment provided by local suppliers.
https://invisiblepeople.tv/hotel-vouchers-4-all-provides-homeless-people-with-shelter-during-pandemic
Ari Honarvar
Invisible People
5 May 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
When COVID-19 hit the U.S., Hotel Vouchers 4 All was created as an emergency response to finding housing for San Diego residents experiencing homelessness. Funded by donations, the initiative has partnered with a local motel to negotiate lower rates for individuals to stay and socially distance during the pandemic. It also helps provide meals, clothes, PPE, and access to health services, but with limited funding and a lack of support from the city, it’s sustainability hangs in question.
https://www.83degreesmedia.com/features/Tampa-Bay-creatives-make-music-around-covid19-050520.aspx
Curtis Ross
83 Degrees Media
5 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Tampa Bay Area performing artists are finding ways to adapt their practices to abide by the social distancing guidelines brought on by COVID-19. Creatives are learning how to stream their performances online, discovering new computer skills and software, and hosting Instagram livestreams. Not all artists have the financial luxury to only work on their art, but some of these coronavirus efforts also raise a little support through "tip jars." Everyone is eager to return to "normalcy," but these artists are happy with how they are meeting the moment.
https://coloradosun.com/2020/05/04/denver-county-jail-protective-masks
Kevin Simpson
The Colorado Sun
4 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Across Colorado, grassroots groups have come together to create homemade masks for the state’s most vulnerable populations to protect against COVID-19. Two of those populations are Denver’s Downtown Detention Center and Denver County Jail. Groups like Dena’s Mask Making Army, the Mask Mavens, and even some AA and sober living communities have rallied together – virtually, of course – to use their sewing skills to fill the mask needs, about 3 masks per person, for those experiencing incarceration.
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/minneapolis-launches-mental-health-fund-for-covid-stress-relief
Cinnamon Janzer
Next City
1 May 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
In Minneapolis, a collaboration between the Division of Race and Equity, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the city’s procurement department has helped establish an emergency mental health fund that aims to more equitably supply resources to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reimbursement-based fund provides clinical counselors with the financial support necessary to increase their caseloads and focus on "helping people of color, women, indigenous people, disabled people, and those who are undocumented."
https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2020/04/29/coronavirus-food-access-california
Austin Price
Martin do Nascimento
Yes! Magazine
29 April 2020
Multi-Media / 1500-3000 Words
A Californian "food rescue" nonprofit called White Pony Express is shifting their usual processes to alleviate food insecurity to accomodate the change that COVID-19 has brought to their distribution systems. The group is partnering with the Palabra de Dios Community Church to distribute boxes of fresh groceries to families who need it. The work is run by volunteers—members of the community who want to pitch in during the crisis to help their neighbors.
https://religionnews.com/2020/04/28/new-york-city-muslims-work-to-build-food-security-during-ramadan
Aysha Khan
Religion News Service
28 April 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
The coronavirus pandemic has caused mass shutdowns of businesses and organizations around the world, and in New York City that includes mosques which typically offer nightly "communal iftar meals" during Ramadan. Knowing that many in the city rely on those free meals, New York City Muslims have begun collaborating and creating mutual aid programs. One such effort includes distributing gift cards from Arab, South Asian and Muslim-owned businesses, which helps both the individual and community.
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/04/27/utah-guard-soldiers-bring
Nate Carlisle
The Salt Lake Tribune
27 April 2020
Text / Under 800 Words
To contain coronavirus, Utah has enabled contact tracing that utilizes state employees to make phone calls to those who have potentially been exposed to the virus but many they call do not speak English. To address the language barrier, members from the Utah National Guard’s 300th Military Intelligence Brigade – who serve on the linguistic unit – are volunteering to provide translations.
https://www.stalberttoday.ca/local-news/how-an-alberta-text-messaging-program-is-helping-people-cope-with-covid-19-2280255
April Hudson
St. Albert Today
27 April 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
An Alberta Health Services’ text messaging service called Text4Hope is giving people text messages to help them cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. The texts, written by mental health therapists, use cognitive behavioral therapy, helping people disrupt the constant stream of negative thoughts that happen during traumatic times. So far, over 30,000 people have signed up.
https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/gardening/coronavirus-victory-gardens-cooperative-garden-commission-philadelphia-20200427.html
Samantha Melamed
The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network)
27 April 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
Across Philadelphia, people are turning to seeds to source their food instead of grocery stores and supply chains, which have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Philadelphia is home to the Cooperative Gardens Commission, helping people across the United States practice safe gardening, providing mentoring for novices, and packaging and sending seedlings. It’s just one of many localized garden initiatives working to make sure their communities and neighbors have fresh, sustainable food.
https://stories4humanrights.com/in-uganda-volunteers-on-bicycles-are-filling-the-gaps-to-deliver-hiv-drugs
Evelyn Lirri
Stories for Human Rights and Social Inclusion
27 April 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
Strict social distancing and stay-at-home orders – including the suspension of public transportation – in Uganda during the coronavirus pandemic have made if difficult for those who need anti-retroviral (ARVs) drugs to regularly access the medications. Volunteers, however, are filling the gap by creating a detailed delivery strategy and then delivering the medications to their fellow community members by bicycle.
https://www.kqed.org/news/11814026/how-san-franciscos-chinatown-avoided-covid-19-panic
Devin Katayama
Ericka Cruz Guevarra
Alan Montecillo
KQED
24 April 2020
Podcast / 5-15 Minutes
It wasn't until first cases of coronavirus were recorded in the United States that San Francisco and other U.S. cities took action to mitigate the spread, but in Chinatown, precautions started much earlier and the preparations seem to have worked. With only three recorded cases in Chinatown, the residents credit trust in authorities, community-driven communications, heightened hygiene practices, and the local Chinese Hospital, "which has strong ties to the community it serves."
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-24/united-sikh-mission
Irfan Khan
Los Angeles Times
24 April 2020
Multi-Media / Under 800 Words
The Sikh community in Riverside, California—starting with the United Sikh Mission and the Riverside Sikh Temple—has provided thousands of masks and more than 40,000 homemade hot meals to healthcare professionals and anyone who needs it. They also have sent more than 1,000 meals a day to nursing homes in nearby counties and deliver meals to four local hospitals. The efforts have received community funding, and they have no plans to stop anytime soon because, "there are no days off for hunger."
https://www.cpr.org/2020/04/24/ramadan-in-the-age-of-coronavirus-some-colorado-muslims-view-isolation-as-an-opportunity-to-grow-in-their-faith
Hayley Sanchez
Colorado Public Radio
24 April 2020
Text / Under 800 Words
An Islamic organization called Downtown Denver’s Islamic Center is helping members of their community adjust to the quarantine and maintain their spiritual practice. All services and counseling has been moved online, and their preexisting food assistance program is still going on, albeit adjusted to accommodate for the shortage of volunteers during the quarantine. They even have many one-on-one phone calls with people to work through specific issues. It's not perfect, and they still want to do more, but for now they are serving a great spiritual and communal need.
https://religionnews.com/2020/04/23/during-ramadan-in-quarantine-muslims-get-creative-to-preserve-community
Aysha Khan
Religion News Service
23 April 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
As the Ramadan season begins, Muslim communities around the world are making adjustments to how they observe it in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Minneapolis, the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood is broadcasting the call to prayer by speaker and in the U.K., the National Huffadh Association has created an online toolkit on how to pray at home. With connection and community a key part of Ramadan, a Reddit thread has started, connecting people for a Secret Santa-style Eid gift exchange, and a Minneapolis programmer has started an online service matching people in time zones to break fast together.
https://southerlymag.org/2020/04/23/these-coal-communities-are-protecting-sick-miners-from-covid-19-and-pushing-congress-for-more-support
Austyn Gaffney
Southerly
23 April 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
In Tennessee and Kentucky, rural coal communities are drawing on their decades-old networks of mutual aid to protect coal miners from COVID-19. At the legislative level, the National Black Lung Association and other Appalachian groups are coming together to push for more coal miner protections in coronavirus stimulus bills. At the local level, communities are organizing phone trees to share necessary information, helping with grocery and prescription delivery, and providing greater access to broadband for those without reliable internet.
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