If you are lucky enough to be working during the Covid 19 pandemic, there are a lot of things you can do to pay it forward. Here are a few suggestions that have made me feel good and useful to my community, as well as avoid the scary prospect of going to the grocery store:
You can make a financial donation to your local food bank, city mission, or church pantry to help those who are out of a job and now in need.
You can get outside as the weather improves, for a walk or some gardening, and take a minute to not just say hello to your neighbors but ask them how they are doing.
You can call an elderly relative or acquaintance to talk them through how to order essentials online or for delivery, as they may not have internet access or maybe unsure how to proceed if they do.
You can order takeout from local restaurants for pick-up or delivery to help ensure those businesses are still up and running when this ends and that their employees continue to have some level of income.
Here are my recommendations if you want to swing by Pittsburgh's Regent Square:
Square Cafe: I love to take a power walk and pick up a smoothie on the way.
D's Dawgz: awesome Philly cheesesteak, pizza for one, Leona's ice cream, wine by the bottle (helps beat the state store shutdown blues!), and of course The Beer Cave.
Millie's/My Goodness: don't skip the chive biscuit breakfast sandwich! I pick up grocery essentials but I could also order online for delivery.
61B Cafe: the takeout window is open for coffee, awesome cookies (M&M cookies are superb) and you can buy coffee by the bag which helps skip a trip to the grocery store.
Frick Park Tavern: open for no contact pick-up and delivery. Jimmy's meatloaf and garlic mash potatoes are what I'm ordering for my birthday next week! Delicious!
We're all in this together and we're at our best when we rely on each other and pay it forward!