Mutual Aid Groups Help Communities Connect While Staying Apart

During a time when many of us are confined to our homes, isolated from loved ones and uncertain about the future, it’s easy to feel helpless against the spread of the new coronavirus. AARP Community Connections is helping people across the country form and connect with mutual aid groups online as a way to combat that helplessness and provide much-needed assistance to their communities — without putting themselves or their neighbors at risk.

These grassroots volunteer groups are doing everything from picking up groceries to providing financial assistance and lending emotional support to neighbors who might not have anyone else to help them.

Sometimes, just hearing a friendly voice on the phone can be a big help. AARP Friendly Voices are trained volunteers who will give you a call to say hello. To request a call for you or a loved one, fill out this online request form or call 888-281-0145 (toll-free). Additional resources and information can be found at AARPCommunityConnections.org.

"With AARP Community Connections and Friendly Voices, we have created a platform that guides anyone seeking support or looking to offer it," says Rick Robinson, VP of AARP's Innovation Labs group. "AARP has been promoting the health and welfare of Americans for 60 years. That mission has never been more important and we hope people of all ages find the help they need through this site."

Over the course of this pandemic, mutual aid groups could be crucial to those who are elderly, immunosuppressed, unemployed or otherwise vulnerable. AARP has created a platform to help communities organize these groups and keep neighbors connected.

Whether you want to start a new mutual aid group in your town or find an existing group that can help you, the AARP Mutual Aid website is a great place to start. It has helpful resources such as health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with virtual town halls, as well as instructions on how to form a mutual aid group on your favorite platforms including Slack, Nextdoor, Google and Patch.

Related: How To Create A Mutual Aid Group In Your Patch Town

If you’ve already created a mutual aid group in your town, the site also offers ways to get the word out. You can even register your mutual aid group with AARP so your neighbors can find it more easily.

We are all feeling anxious about the new coronavirus right now, and these localized support groups and friendly calls are a great way to keep morale high during uncertain times.

Stay safe and, as always, refer to CDC guidelines before interacting with the community.

In the past, AARP has been a Patch advertising partner. This announcement is a community service and not part of any advertising campaign.