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Coronavirus

Practical generosity

(58 Posts)
mcem Sun 15-Mar-20 11:00:02

Cristiano Ronaldo is opening his hotels as hospitals to treat the virus and is footing all bills to run them.
Where are our philanthropists?

rick50 Sat 21-Mar-20 16:58:36

please dont travel its the worse thing you can do. stay indoors hopefully this will pass. check on neighbours especially the elderley. where I live in Liverpool the local opticians is accepting tin food and donating to charitys as food banks are desperate for food. Think about how lucky we are to be alive and donate any food you can to local charites as in my case my local specsavers is accepting all tinned food so if your local to liverpool which I doubt very much, but worth a shot please donate to specsavers liverpool kirkby

www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/kirkby
god bless and stay safe.x

maddyone Thu 19-Mar-20 23:21:08

That’s a lovely thing to do Missfoodlove.

Missfoodlove Thu 19-Mar-20 18:34:15

I have put a box of books by my gate with a sign for people who are isolating or their friends to help themselves.

mcem Thu 19-Mar-20 17:35:19

Almost full circle on this thread. I posted about the corner shop couple with their free handwash kits near the start of the thread and soon after about the Dundee tech firm's offer of £50 per employee to shop for vulnerable neighbours.
Keep up, girls!

Sarah2010 Thu 19-Mar-20 00:53:39

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

welbeck Thu 19-Mar-20 00:20:32

here is a link to the admirable shopkeeper couple in Stenhousemuir. another inspiring example.

www.metro.news/cornershop-gives-away-hand-gel-to-help-elderly/1942285/

welbeck Thu 19-Mar-20 00:12:54

heard on the radio this evening a woman called cath who works as a cook at the london irish centre in camden town.
she said they had to suspend their usual programme of lunch clubs for the elderly, advice sessions, social groups.
she pointed out that the irish were the oldest ethnic group in britain.
then she said that an appeal went out on their website and in 24 hours £25,000 had been raised for their outreach programme.
she said if anyone needed food, because they could not afford it, or access/ find it, they would try to get some to them. didnt have to be irish, and anywhere that they could get to, they would bring it to them. she sounded a londoner.
it was quite moving to hear.
fortunately i dont need it, but if someone on here knows someone who does, within striking distance of camden town, please contact them.

maddyone Wed 18-Mar-20 23:25:20

That’s lovely paddyanne but I still agree that pensioners will all have their pension paid, many others, much younger, will lose their jobs or have their income slashed. These are the people we need to worry about.

paddyanne Wed 18-Mar-20 18:39:05

Taxi firms in the north of Glasgow offering free taxi's for the elderly to and from shops when they have their elderly only hours .So many people offering things its hard to keep up ,I particulary like the company boss who told ALL his staff to spend £50 each on essential supplies for a an elderly or vulnerable person and put it on their expenses .Some said they were happy to double the amount and buy for two folk.

GreenGran78 Wed 18-Mar-20 16:49:28

It's very good of people to volunteer to shop for vulnerable people. I just hope that they can fulfil their promises. I popped into Sainsbury's yesterday, for a few items. A lot of the shelves were completely empty. I refuse to stockpile things that I don't normally use. I exited the shop with a packet of dates - the only thing I could find from my list. Luckily I always keep my cupboards and freezer well stocked, so I won't starve.
The lady on the checkout said that there was a long queue at 7am, waiting to rush in. One man turned up at the checkout with a full carton of pasta! They refused to let him have them, thank heavens, but there was none on the shelves when I went in.
I see that, today, Sainsburys are going to allow pensioners to shop first, but not all are fit enough to get to the shop early in the morning. They are also going to start rationing, but people will just go around several times, I expect. Maybe they should stamp their hands at the checkout!

EllanVannin Tue 17-Mar-20 10:48:52

Great minds think alike Urmstongran smile

Urmstongran Tue 17-Mar-20 10:44:40

X posts EV!
?

Urmstongran Tue 17-Mar-20 10:43:56

I agree GabriellaG it’s some of the young workers who feel financially exposed - Uber drivers for example as people are going out less so not ringing for a taxi. Pensions get paid regardless of the economic climate!

EllanVannin Tue 17-Mar-20 10:41:59

I agree GabriellaG54, whatever happens we're guaranteed that our pension/s are paid into the bank weekly/monthly. So many others must be mortified at the moment and that sort of a worry is going to create more of a lasting illness than the virus itself.

GabriellaG54 Tue 17-Mar-20 09:58:39

Pensioners will not be the losers in this crisis. Their monies will still be paid so to expect or accept more, is selfish.

JuliaM Tue 17-Mar-20 09:28:59

Well done to those who generously have offered to help those who are unable to shop for themselves, and offer to deliver goods or run erands for people who are isolating themselves to try and avoid this dredful virus. With supermarket delivery availabilty slots becoming very scarce, and the usual regular weekly orders arriving with about half the items missing, its one very big task for any helper to take on. Im just hope that the recipients are not as fussy regarding needing certain brands of goods, or obscure items as my late step mother was.
Even the same product in a new dezign of packaging would result in tutts and rejection!
Im actually feeling quite useless at the moment, the street that l grew up in l was well known as 'Old Jacks Grandaughter' the one who was training to be a nurse, and someone who could be called upon as a ' Port within a storm' no matter what!
Now l live in an area where not many neighbours even know each others names, never mind offer to help eachother out, and my own mobility problems render me unable to help where it would have once been me trying my best to support others.

Luckygirl Tue 17-Mar-20 09:24:59

I have ordered a bit more on my Tesco order - which should be arriving this morning - so that I will not need to order again for several weeks, thus freeing up slots for others. Several supermarket online shopping sites crashed last night, and delivery slots are now weeks and weeks ahead.

I rang my elderly neighbour (83, ill, and very very thin) and offered to put her shopping on my order, since I have a slot (which I booked weeks ago). I am getting her some bread, as she said she needed nothing else because her son has booked a carer to take her out shopping tomorrow (!!) and when she tried to cancel this he got very angry with her, so it has been reinstated. Let us hope the carer will have the common sense to take a list from her and go and get the stuff. She was very upset yesterday.

maddyone Tue 17-Mar-20 08:37:20

My daughter is a GP and has sent me some of the current advice doctors are receiving. She has told us in no uncertain terms that we need to stay at home and not socialise as far as possible. We are not being locked away, we are being given good advice. My daughter made it absolutely clear to us that we may well not be treated with a ventilator if we fall ill because there’ll be younger people who’ll need them. I have asthma, she tells me I’m unlikely to get better if I get this disease. We need to take this seriously. None of us will need money if we’re dead.

joannapiano Mon 16-Mar-20 18:42:32

We also have had a leaflet posted by our neighbour opposite offering the same things. I felt this was very kind, we are an estate of bungalows with most of us over 60.
By the by, the kind neighbours came from Iran 5 years ago.

mcem Mon 16-Mar-20 18:40:54

I too am in Dundee and sadly it's here that there are reports of the rogue 'volunteers'.
(Seems that all gp surgeries here are now in lockdown.)

Anniebach Mon 16-Mar-20 18:33:56

This morning I received a leaflet, name, telephone number,
offering collecting shopping, friendly telephone chat, posting mail, urgent supplies.

Also telephone numbers of privately owned shops who will
deliver goods.

It has been set up by a large group of volunteers.

Nandalot Mon 16-Mar-20 17:50:27

DS has posted on Facebook that China has been sending some medical supplies to Spain where they are badly need. Not fake news (unlike the disappointing Ronaldo story). He is there and posted pictures. So some international neighbourliness.

Sussexborn Mon 16-Mar-20 17:48:38

A Facebook page has been set up in our area advising where to get help if needed.

grannydarkhair Mon 16-Mar-20 16:52:43

I'm in Dundee, there's a Fc'bk group started up here too, so it's not just happening in small villages.

Juicylucy Mon 16-Mar-20 16:48:16

Mcem I heard yesterday in the news that Ronaldos advisers had said that is was fake news started on social media for a joke.