COVID-19: How Can I Help?

Stay home and practice social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19. In addition, the following is a list of ideas for helping Ithaca businesses, neighbors, and community, compiled by the City of Ithaca Office of Economic Development. Updated 3/26/20

Helping Local Businesses

• Purchase gift cards. The Tompkins Chamber has collected a database of gift card offerings, links to online stores and innovative approaches: https://www.tompkinschamber.org/support-small-businesses
• Virtual Tip Jar. Want to support workers that rely on tips? Check out http://ithacatipjar.com
• Order takeout to help keep local restaurants afloat. A number of Ithaca area restaurants are offering take-out options. Here’s a list:   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d4u_ZJ93-PrbKv_LsVYnFo0rGUteTtLk4MRb4NUePmE/edit?fbclid=IwAR0Pxk-kmkyMqFylVHVEocQ7JAutmPP275zwONeC4MEg4sfivNGMWXaXvo8
• Donate to the Chamber’s Member Support Fund. Consider a donation to the Tompkins Chamber Member Support Fund: https://www.givegab.com/campaigns/chamber-member-support-fund
• Support Downtown Businesses. The Downtown Ithaca Alliance has a list of restaurants providing take-out services and shops open for walk-in service & shops providing online, by appointment, or other experiences: https://www.downtownithaca.com/
• The Ithaca Voice also has a list of ideas for supporting local businesses during NYS “Pause”: https://ithacavoice.com/2020/03/roundup-of-localclosures-ways-to-support-local-business-during-nys-pause/
• Support Collegetown Restaurants. Some Cornell alumni have put together a GoFundMe campaign - https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-collegetown-restaurants - to help Collegetown restaurants during the COVID-19 business disruption.

Helping Neighbors and Community

• Donate to a local charitable fund. The United Way of Tompkins County and Community Foundation of Tompkins County have both set up COVID-19 funds:
  • Community Foundation of Tompkins County: https://www.cftompkins.org/covid19/. The COVID-19 Response Fund will provide flexible resources to basic needs nonprofit organizations in our region working with our communities to address how they and their participants are impacted by this crisis.
  • United Way: https://www.uwtc.org/responding-covid-19.  United Way of Tompkins County is responding to an increase in local needs due to COVID-19 by expanding and expediting our existing funding processes. As always, 100% of donations given through United Way of Tompkins County (UWTC) will continue to go directly to agency programs and services. Donors can continue to contribute any of UWTC’s existing community initiatives or a nonprofit agency of their choice. In addition they can designate their gift to support UWTC’s COVID-19 relief efforts.
• Sign up on the Ithaca/Tompkins County “Offer Support” Volunteer form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUL7V2kPMfBhpVKF0O2IGHchAADlM2_psZ_mM-UkjyoiizfQ/viewform?fbclid=IwAR1UFBUCR2lumNvGvbKLBfwmLpaVZGfBPwUjDXnPBL01V4xTIcks-tmzKXI. This form is organized by the ‘COVID-19 Tompkins Mutual Aid Response’ group. The group is helping link volunteers with local individual-to-individual as well as opportunities through local service organizations.
• Sign up on the United Way’s Volunteer Form: https://www.uwtc.org/volunteer-sign. which will be used to match individual volunteers with opportunities.
• Visit the ‘Tompkins COVID-19 Immediate Needs’ Facebook Group to request or offer assistance on a person to person basis. https://www.facebook.com/groups/541333123157147/
• Donate Food.  The Food Bank of the Southern Tier is a resource. https://www.foodbankst.org/
• Donate Blood. There are still a number of local blood drives and the need is constant.
• Check out the Daily Run Down, also organized by the COVID-19 Tompkins Mutual Aid Response group. If you would like this delivered straight to your inbox every day please fill out this form. The community resource folder has all of the relevant info and is updated daily.
• Mask sewing. Carol O’Driscoll is the director of Surgical Services at CMC. They are taking volunteer sewers and people to cut out masks at Bartels Hall at Cornell (554 Campus Road) Monday - Friday, 8am to 3pm. They have a protocol they are following for mask construction for use at CMC. She said that if we know anyone who would like to volunteer please email her at: codriscoll@cayugamed.org.
  
  

Send additional ideas for how individual community members can help during the COVID-19 crisis to tknipe@cityofithaca.org