From #SelfIsolationHelp on Twitter and Facebook to communities and businesses coming together as one county by county, the message is clear: We can work together to help combat this pandemic.
One brilliant initiative was by Cian O’Flaherty who started a GoFundMe to raise money for meals to send to those on the frontlines in healthcare. It now sits at over €124,000.
Another particularly good initiative was by Irishman Johnathan Randall who came up with a map which allows people to tag themselves in locations across Ireland. On this map individuals, businesses and organisations can mark themselves on the map and show what they are doing to help the community.
‘Like a lot of freelancers, I quickly realised I’m going to be given a lot of time off over the next few weeks. I thought, I’m going to need to be creating something, or I’ll lose my mind!’ Johnathan tells me.
‘So I started looking at what people were saying online, and I noticed how many people wanted to send out a message that they’d help anyone in their town who needed it – but those kind offers were quickly being bumped down the timeline. I decided we needed a better way to be able to share these important gestures, and I thought it would be better if they could be placed on a map..’
‘In doing so, it raises awareness of just how many people are looking out for their neighbours and hopefully encourages more kind-heartedness. What strikes me is that after such a tough week of news, people are made-up to see so much kindness in their region, and people want to be part of it’ he says.
If you’re wondering which specific businesses and communities are offering help, I’ve been gathering a list of them below.
Here are just some of the initiatives that people have started to help communities and those in need. They’re broken down into counties and not all counties are covered so if you hear of more initiatives please tweet me or leave a comment here. Press CTRL + F to find your county.