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I have omitted contact information. If you wish to be in touch contact me at [email protected] ken h Announcements See All (3) <https://www.facebook.com/groups/841903382944884/announcements/> <https://www.facebook.com/yolanda.clatworthy?fref=gs&__tn__=%2Cdm-R-R&eid=ARCCa8dwptq28My8HWfVF2EYHBgCJ8LMlT4z2Hx51zHUG7-KKuy45onp1hKuK30qJ-AG8ZfdAtSi3IPp&dti=841903382944884&hc_location=group> <https://www.facebook.com/yolanda.clatworthy?fref=gs&__tn__=%2Cdm-R-R&eid=ARCCa8dwptq28My8HWfVF2EYHBgCJ8LMlT4z2Hx51zHUG7-KKuy45onp1hKuK30qJ-AG8ZfdAtSi3IPp&dti=841903382944884&hc_location=group> Admin <https://www.facebook.com/groups/841903382944884/badge_member_list/?badge_type=ADMIN> · 11 hrs <https://www.facebook.com/groups/841903382944884/permalink/842707489531140/> Group update, call out for help, and reminder of group guidelines: WOW! On behalf of the organizing team, we are blown away by the level of response to this group. We came together spontaneously yesterday after seeing the need to create a platform such as this, launched at 1am with no promo other than adding friends, and it has been snowballing ever since. YOU, the people of Vancouver and the surrounding area, have been keeping our hearts bursting ever since! A couple of things the Admin team wanted to highlight: 1. We are accessible to folks who don't have Facebook! We encourage people to post on behalf on others, and also offer ourselves to post for Seniors and others who don't have Facebook. Please get the word out to just email us at We recognize that this is still not accessible to people who don't have regular internet access, and are expanding our capacity to do more safe outreach. 2. Please be sure to read our community care guidelines and follow the best practices we have outlined to keep yourselves and others safe (not disclosing personal information, how to safely deliver groceries or walk dogs). WE ARE NOT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND AS SUCH GOING FORWARD WE WILL BE DELETING ANY MEDICAL POSTS. That is not what the group was designed for and is beyond our scope of practice. 3. Your commitment to each other and to community has been incredible and we are scrambling to keep up. We are putting a call out to folks who are interested in joining us to support the evolving needs and smooth running of this group. Specifically, right now we need the following expertise (although we welcome everyone who wants to be involved!): Anyone with experience helping to categorize / structure requests so that they are easily able to be found and matched. If there is the potential to integrate a mapping function so people can easily connect with folks in their neighbourhood, so much the better! The posts are flooding in fast and furious! If you speak multiple languages, we would love your translation help so that our documents are accessible in multiple languages. If you have experience in philanthropy, development, and fundraising we would love to hear from you. We want to start focusing on resource generation (perhaps a go fund me?) so that we can support folks who are in precarious situations and struggling to make ends meet right now. We also want to tie this to larger social movements and increase pressure on institutions to step up and provide widespread and long-lasting change. Please get in touch if you are involved in or would like to be involved in developing some of this advocacy work! If you have anti-oppression training and are interested in taking shifts moderating to ensure that this is a welcoming space, please reach out. If you have expertise in public health, epidemiology, infectious disease etc, we are compiling a document with centralized links and advice so that we can limit misinformation and direct folks to reputable sources. Finally, anyone with legal expertise to make sure that this platform continues to serve the community in a safe and responsible manner! If you would like to join our efforts, please fill out this form and we will get back to you as soon as we can https://forms.gle/bbubk9cHSN1AYtzr7 <https://forms.gle/bbubk9cHSN1AYtzr7?fbclid=IwAR27xAfjBTtOuETckKIiiTyDu65MQTGC3p5naYIg6b3_xc2R0ccskUa406Y>. WHAT WE DO Welcome to COVID-19 Coming Together - Vancouver! Note that we are a group of community members who have come together on short notice to organize this platform. We anticipate that, as the pandemic shifts, this group will shift and grow as needed. We are working hard to increase accessibility and to provide translations. We welcome any suggestions and/or offers of help through the following link. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to flesh this out and get it fully up and running! NOTE: Please direct any questions/concerns to or DM our admins: We offer a centralized platform to connect for the following: To Provide or Access Direct Aid: Post below if you would like to offer or access direct assistance such as: picking up groceries or prescription medications, walking dogs, childcare, and more. To Provide or Access Social Support: This is a time of great uncertainty, anxiety, and heaviness for many folks, especially those among us who have chronic illnesses, are elderly, or are physically-isolating. Post below if you would like to offer to make or receive phone calls checking in on others. Create or Access a Neighbourhood Pod: As things get harder, we show up for our neighbors. As a neighbourhood point person, you take on the responsibility of reaching out to your neighbors, checking in on what needs are arising on your block, coordinating a neighborhood group chat or phone tree, and staying in touch with the point people from other neighborhoods for resource pooling. Check out our Neighbourhood Pod How-To here <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fdocument%2Fd%2F1BLdWMMk251HvzPceY6DPh3VF30jMQTwCjAqa2WLeZd8%2Fedit%3Fusp%3Dsharing%26fbclid%3DIwAR05_Oy3H0SKSjTZAp4zaGbt6PO3nR1hEH_7CR2nUQU6mdpsL-8CtrquFYQ&h=AT2f8IBpuhm-VvSf4CGi24-kWEuciTx3_liK3mrYRwspr13wZ2M_nWb3ixJeooxKTXulS3Z9nIqGPtrlWcc6gP-tbiqhekm17ET2tBm9g-nJPVUQqszYt2zhC3rH25FMwx6-jIrI_9avmmvlqw>, or post below to connect with people in your area. COMING SOON: Advocate for Action from our Institutions: Resources are coming soon to connect you with groups pressuring different levels of government to implement better labour standards, implement paid sick leave, increase workplace flexibility, place a moratorium on evictions, compensate rent and mortgage payments, increase funding for public health, provide housing solutions for people who are housing insecure, offer support for migrant workers and care workers, and beyond! COMING SOON: Find out the latest information, find toolkits to start a group in your area, or connect with other support groups. A place to come to find links to resources, updates, and other support groups in your area, as well as warnings about fake articles circulating on social media. We are also in the process of assembling a toolkit for those interested in starting a group in their home community. Please contact us if you know of parallel networks operating in Vancouver so that we can help to amplify their work! WHAT WE ARE NOT WE ARE NOT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND AS SUCH GOING FORWARD WE WILL BE DELETING ANY MEDICAL POSTS. That is not what the group was designed for and is beyond our scope of practice. HOW TO OFFER OR REQUEST A SERVICE Write OFFER or REQUEST in capital letters, with a short description. Post the general neighbourhood you live in - NOT an exact address (e.g., Kitsilano, Marpole, Little Mountain, Sunset) Give a fuller description of your offer or request, including: dates/windows of time, accessibility limitations and requirements, allergies, sensitivities, or preferences if applicable. Edit your post to have “RESOLVED” at the top when your offer or request has been fulfilled. Contact one another over facebook messenger - don’t share your email or phone number directly on this page! For those that do not have access to Facebook, please feel free to have them connect via email: Example: REQUEST: Groceries I’m unable to go out and buy groceries, and I need milk, eggs, and kimchi. Can someone find a store that has these items and pick them up for me, or else drop off items you have to spare? I’m in the Hastings-Sunrise area. I live in a house with 12 stairs to the front door. COMMUNITY CARE GUIDELINES This group operates under an anti-oppressive framework and is explicitly designed to counter the xenophobic, white supremacist & anti-poor rhetoric circulating around COVID-19. Hatred of any kind will not be tolerated; posts will be deleted and posters will be removed from the group. If you see any abuse, please tag a mod. Best practices for staying safe medically include but are not limited to: DO NOT PARTICIPATE in assisting others if you exhibit any symptoms (such as fever, cough, shortness of breath) or have a high exposure risk (i.e. have recently returned from overseas, have a chronic underlying conditions yourself). If someone is developing these symptoms, call 811. If you’re dropping off medical supplies, groceries, or other goods, these should be left on the front door. Avoid face-to-face contact, and maintain a 2 metre distance between people at all times. Thoroughly wash hands for at least 20 - 25 seconds and/or use hand sanitizer before and after coming into contact with any surfaces such as door handles, door bells etc. Medical research is not yet clear on the potential for the virus to survive on animal fur. While the WHO has indicated that there are no cases of dog to human transmission, we urge potential dog walkers to weigh the risks and consider bringing their own leash if possible. We asked a doctor about dog walking and he had this to say: “Here are the risk limiting things I can think of: 1) Have pet washed before being walked by an outside person, preferably by someone not showing symptoms. If someone with symptoms, wear mask and gown for bath. 2) Have walker use own leash, wear gloves, use hand sanitizer often, and do not let pet rub up on walker, no hugs. This should be a platonic walk.” These recommendations are drawn from the following sources and vetted by two medical professionals. They will be updated as/when new information comes in. BC Centre for Disease Control http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/testing-isolation?fbclid=IwAR0ibPP_ffSoi46ASc_j4oE4Zxsq-QntCuStzaI54GVKlbcKIhJMXUvMJFM <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bccdc.ca%2Fhealth-info%2Fdiseases-conditions%2Fcovid-19%2Ftesting-isolation%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2v_slyqdYDSaVQxrczWpjfgRWJHjn4bSzhBfaIKwGt39YEIpOIcdAjTzY&h=AT34aVcDckcYaloh9u5HrSS9yKECQqDFq3PHlYj2KS8kwwm2__0iCSQ2uevWiBH3t9TD3J-ezh5LqekIekO_Rym_rt9BRsUPjcjJXr5XW0VONQi7kuOC31C6hI-Sm9leo9rw-IfFKOCs4v6oVA> Public Health Agency of Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/public-health-measures-mitigate-covid-19.html?fbclid=IwAR24rOmxRLBm8MO3i0zoLrA6M1C8WJMZzwuTBlge6388ce7sjgB87YeX7Mg <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.canada.ca%2Fen%2Fpublic-health%2Fservices%2Fdiseases%2F2019-novel-coronavirus-infection%2Fhealth-professionals%2Fpublic-health-measures-mitigate-covid-19.html%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR35bBuU-nl06eC4AcgVU_igKt8YDfLpWvyAvso0Un2Dw8mU2btY1koaVKI&h=AT1oMzgYzo5pCMCgMNLEo_417gHaTIgmYPkOj4_UjX3JAcHpva4m37Q4ow_3M-ulB910lt6cdQ_wt6t67LhcaK_s37WdJ9kCzCA0StTnc4xOaVh-LFJto0orcP2zpbPtWLiyyKVCNhnKUBf7FQ>Best practices for staying safe financially include but are not limited to: We are focused on creating a caring, respectful community. However, we are also aware of the reality that this peer-to-peer exchange relies on trusting relations that involve a degree of risk. We offer the following guidelines of best practice to ensure that both parties maximize their chances of a safe and pleasant transaction. Never share financial details (such as bank numbers) publicly. If possible, use person-to-person methods such as exchanging cash in envelopes for your groceries (while following the medical recommendations outlined above). Evaluate the profile of the person who is messaging you (for example, does this person have any friends listed, or was this a recently created profile?). Try to keep requests to critical items that are necessary, and to distribute rather than consolidate requests. CBC has reported an increase in COVID-related scam activity ( https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/coronavirus-here-s-what-s-happening-in-canada-and-around-the-world-1.5496334 <https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/coronavirus-here-s-what-s-happening-in-canada-and-around-the-world-1.5496334?fbclid=IwAR2qfRJZiR5MUykRLj-LUY8tj6ERJQ23rLBj2JzHP0gNxFKueaNosrYq9K8> ). Keep checking this space and we will update you if we have reports of any suspicious activities that we become aware of. Please flag or report suspicious behaviour by immediately contacting administrators through direct messaging or emailing us at: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>. Thank you all for being a part of this! Let's keep showing up for each other in a big, beautiful way. Do you want to help with the back-end support of CCT? Fill out this form! If you have any barriers to completing this form, please just let us know in an email to <https://forms.gle/bbubk9cHSN1AYtzr7?fbclid=IwAR3cIE6uFoX0I1inCTeCdIgQd-vdSyW2YlHqta4q1KLdNtyV-UgB6GIpWyQ> _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
