If you’ve felt disconnected throughout the pandemic, or current events are bogging you down, you aren’t alone. We may have settled into new routines and new ways of living and working since 2020, but still find ourselves missing one important piece: involvement.

You can reach out and make an impact on your community while staying safe and healthy as COVID-19 guidelines change and shift over time. Check out some suggestions below for what you can do and how you can volunteer and serve others.

Give Blood

A person gets their arm sterilized in preparation for blood donations. | Unsplash

The need for blood donations is ever-present, saving the lives of thousands weekly. Blood services are constantly in demand among multiple blood types.

Take the 2 Minute Eligibility Quiz by Canadian Blood Services to see if you quality for blood donation!

Check your eligibility and book an appointment as clinics are likely not offering drop-in blood donation services, to collect blood and protect the health of donors and staff involved in the process.

Remember to stay well hydrated long before the blood donation appointment—chugging water a few hours beforehand will not be enough to ensure your blood volume is ready. The medical staff, from phlebotomists to nurses, will have plenty of experience helping thousands of volunteers in and out of their doors every year—you’re in good hands!

In some locations, blood donors will have free parking on-site and refreshments during the waiting period after your donation has been provided.

Write Letters to Nursing Home Residents

A set of letters lie on a table. | Unsplash

COVID-19 has caused increased healthcare measures to protect those who live in facilities, but with that includes an increase in social isolation as a result of closing to the general public and even most next of kin. Consider writing a letter to brighten a senior’s day and to know you are thinking of them.

There are multiple organizations that provide letter writing services to seniors:

If you are interested in writing letters to seniors, keep these guidelines in mind:

Write in large print and handwritten; large print for readability, and everyone loves the care of a handwritten letter.
Write a decent amount. Talk about your day, your hopes and dreams, your wishes for the recipient—the idea is to pretend that you are having a conversation. A short letter such as “have a nice day” will usually not be accepted.
Do not use glitter. Creativity is highly encouraged with colors and pictures, but avoid glitter from irritating skin or causing a mess.
Avoid religious or political topics. Whatever message you write should resonate with anyone, as letters are often distributed without specificity to each senior (to avoid favoritism, or one senior receiving more letters than another)
Don’t expect a letter back. Some agencies don’t mind if you include a return address, but agencies want to ensure that recipients aren’t feeling obligated or burdened to respond with a letter back to you.

Help Neighbors with Errands

A pile of groceries lies on a blanket. | Unsplash

Whether it be babysitting, walking a dog, shoveling a driveway, prepping and dropping off meals, or picking up groceries or prescriptions, you can be saving hours of time for someone else and protecting others, not to mention brightening their day!

Errand ideas:

Carpooling to a group, program, birthday, or movies; group pickup of children after school
Walk a dog, or cat sit for a neighbor who is out of town
Ensure a neighbor’s trash bins are set out before garbage day
Shovel a driveway—or help sweep a driveway if the snow has melted
Pool your recycling (eg. Cans) for a neighbor or community group who is interested in the fundraising money of recycling
Volunteer at your local Community League
Offer for food or package delivery to be safekept at your house, if your neighbor is running late
See if your neighborhood would be interested hosting a community-wide garage sale

If a neighbor has helped you out, see how you can return the favor!

Pick Up Trash

A set of garbage bags sits on a street curb. | Unsplash

Many of us are heading outside regularly to take care of our bodies and minds.

Grab your gloves and carry a bag or two while you’re out, and turn each walk out into an opportunity to beautify community space.

As winter melts away to spring, lots of garbage from beverage containers to last fall’s autumn leaves may still need to be picked up and cleaned.

Again, make sure you have proper footwear, gloves, pants, long-sleeved clothing, and other protective items to keep you safe while picking up trash—and if you see something dangerous such as medical waste, call your community’s non-emergency line to notify them of biohazardous or other waste to be removed.

Donate

A series of hampers containing groceries. | Unsplash

Just like blood donations, take the time to research what agencies are accepting donations, what can be donated, if you can drive by and drop off, or need to set an appointment.

Canadians everywhere may be facing challenges making ends meet, from making rent to making dinner for their children.

Furthermore, some agencies are best served with direct cash donations rather than physical donations, for agencies to plan and purchase exactly what recipients may need.

Keep things dignified—most furniture places do not accept old mattresses, but will take a variety of other old furniture from chairs to cupboards. Even if it is a dehydrated, non-perishable good, food banks will refuse it if it is expired. When it comes to clothes, the wintertime often demands jackets, hats and gloves—year-round, underwear and socks are in consistent demand.

Some local agencies include Habitat for Humanity ReStore, or check out the Edmonton Reuse Directory.

Qi Citizenship is about helping others in your community in your own way! We hope we have given you some good ideas to get started.

WOOSH!