One of the most distressing aspects of the Coronavirus lockdown is that many people want to help in some way, but feel relatively powerless.
Beyond helping an elderly neighbour by doing their shopping for them, it feels there isn’t a huge amount most of us can do.
However, there are a host of businesses that are aiding in the fight against Coronavirus, whether that’s donating some of their revenue to NHS workers or raising cash for people left out of work by the crisis.
If you want to do your bit, in a relatively easy way, then you can support these businesses in their laudable efforts.
Of course, it helps if they are providing products or services that you are likely to use anyway.
Here are just a few examples.
Want to donate? NHS Charities COVID 19 Appeal
Buying gin
Gin has enjoyed a big boost in its popularity over the last few years, to the point that it is even included by the Office for National Statistics when calculating inflation.
And what’s more, a host of small gin producers ‒ including the likes of Psychopomp and 58 Gin ‒ have started shifting their focus from producing tasty booze to instead making hand sanitiser, whether that’s for the general public or hospitals, police forces and other emergency workers.
You can help keep these firms going during these difficulties ‒ and ensure everyone has enough hand sanitiser ‒ by stocking up on a few bottles of gin.
After all, it makes a cracking Christmas present.
...or wine
It’s not just gin either.
There’s also the BIB Wine Co which sells wine in a box, and is donating 55p from every sale to the Royal Voluntary Service, which is running the NHS volunteer responder programme.
In addition, Berkmann, a trade wine supplier, has launched a new online platform called Help 4 Hospitality, with 12.5% of the purchase price going to charities supporting hospitality workers.
Get a new t-shirt
If you need a bit of retail therapy, you can’t hit the shops for a while.
But if you’re still in the market for a new t-shirt, you could do a lot worse than pop over to the Gozney website.
While the firm normally makes pizza ovens ‒ used by the likes of Franco Manca and Pizza Pilgrims ‒ it has launched a t-shirt with 100% of the profits going straight to Hospitality Action, a charity which supports hospitality workers who have been hard hit during this crisis.
On your bike
Brompton, the makers of fold-up bikes, is raising money to provide 1,000 bikes for free for NHS staff to use.
Get gaming
Rockstar Games is donating 5% of the revenues it brings in from its popular online games, GTA Online and Red Dead Redemption, to Coronavirus relief efforts.
A group of other UK games developers are running Coronavirus safety advice within their games too.
For example, Rebellion will display messages around staying at home before gameplay begins in its Strange Brigade and Sniper Elite games, while the courses in Codemasters’ off-road racing game Dirt Rally 2.0 will include signs containing the message ‘Stay Home. Save Lives.’
Buy someone else dinner
Food delivery firm Deliveroo is making 500,000 free meals available to frontline NHS staff, having secured donations of 350,000 meals from restaurants already.
You can help feed an NHS worker by making a donation on its website.
And while you’re there, you could pick up a takeaway for you too.
Do a workout
Like thousands of parents across the country ‒ and in fact the globe ‒ I’m doing a Joe Wicks workout with my kids every morning.
Not only is it a great way to ensure they get a little exercise every day, even if the weather takes a turn for the worse, Wicks has also promised to donate the advertising revenue earned on his YouTube channel during the lockdown to the NHS.
So you can get a bit fitter and help the nation’s health workers at the same time.
Get cleaning
Unilever is the world’s biggest soap company, and is the parent of brands like Domestos, Dove and Cif.
It’s ploughing around £88 million into the fight against Covid-19, providing free soap, sanitiser, bleach and food across the world.
So don’t feel guilty about overlooking your supermarket’s own brand bleach and going for a more premium brand next time you’re doing your big shop.
NHS Charities COVID 19 Appeal. Click to learn more