Volunteering

Register to Volunteer

Volunteers can help by:

• Picking up groceries
• Obtaining resources
• Food preparation
• Pet care (e.g. dog walking)
• Poster distribution
• Health advice / check in
• Emotional support / advice
• Childcare/babysitting
• Setting up a group in your local area

Please sign up using the link below if you want to be involved with helping self-isolating people in Glasgow access food, medicine, support and other necessary resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/glasgow-mutual-aid-covid-19-volunteers-2

Your data will be held securely and any information gathered will be deleted when the group disbands.

To remove or amend your data at anytime or ask any questions please email glasgowmutualaid@protonmail.com.

Information for All Volunteers

All volunteers should PRIORITISE SAFETY. Community care is about preventing the spread of Covid-19 and providing support for the most vulnerable. All individuals should familiarise themselves with the relevant protocols for minimising contamination risk before carrying out any activities.

The guidelines below are taken from https://covidmutualaid.org/resources/#avoid

Leafleting

Printing

Wash your hands thoroughly before taking leaflets out of the printer and put the leaflets directly into a ziploc bag (a small pile up to about 40). Don’t stockpile excess leaflets.

Distributing Leaflets

It is important to follow safety guidelines when distributing leaflets to ensure that as far as possible we are not exposing people to the virus and putting anyone at more harm. Here are some guidelines that everyone distributing leaflets should follow. You should not do this if you are ill at all.

Do not leaflet if you are unwell at all, even if you’re only experiencing mild symptoms. Leaflets should be stored in smaller piles within ziploc bags Listen to social distancing guidelines and don’t leaflet in large groups. When leafleting in small groups, avoid physical contacts or exchanging resources. Make sure to wash your hands well before starting leafleting and use hand sanitiser if you are able to at regular intervals. Only one person should handle leaflets from each ziplocked pack, putting them directly from the bag through the door for each house and minimising contact as far as possible Make sure to wash your hands after you are finished too

Distributing Posters

Posters can be put up around the local area to spread awareness. Some ideas of places to put them are:

Shop and cafe windows and noticeboards (ask for permission!) Community noticeboards (try religious centres, libraries, community centres, blocks of flats)

Disinfection

The following disinfection procedure is taken from https://queercare.network/our-work/resources/covid-19/disinfecting-things-protocol/.

This is the protocol for disinfecting any items that you need to spread around the community- it’s designed to reliably remove virus to a level where it’s safe for someone immuno-compromised to touch it.

Disinfection with bleach

1. This should be carried out in a well-ventilated space, with windows open.
3. Take care to avoid contact between bleach and bare skin. While mixing the solution, it is advisable to wear gloves to protect your skin from bleach splashes. (these gloves should then be changed before beginning to clean the items.)
5. Wash your hands with soap and hot water before beginning. If wearing kitchen gloves which you have previously used, wash your hands with soap while wearing the gloves.
7. Mix 1:9 thin home bleach with cold water, and put it in a spray bottle, squirt bottle, or open topped container. Wipe down the outside of the bleach solution bottle with your bleach solution, leave it for 10 minutes. After ten minutes have passed, the outside of the bottle should be only just dry, or ideally slightly wet to the touch- if it’s not, you must add more bleach to your solution, or use more solution, then try again. Make new bleach solution every 24 hours, as it will degrade rapidly. (WHO)
9. Remove any protective gloves you are wearing, wash your hands, and put on (fresh) disposable gloves. If you cannot, you must wash your hands very thoroughly with soap and hot water.
11. When putting on gloves, ensure that you touch only the cuff area with your bare hand, to prevent transmission of virus onto the exterior of the glove (illustrated technique). If this is not possible, disinfect the exterior of your gloves before touching the items which you plan to exchange.
13. Wipe down a space to put disinfected items upon once you’ve wiped them down. Leave it for ten minutes.
15. Wipe down the surface of each item you need to disinfect and regularly add more bleach solution to the cloth. Place each item on the disinfected surface.
17. With freshly washed hands, place items in a new unused, or also disinfected, plastic bag until needed. Seal the bag.

Removing some of the virus with soap and water.

This is a much less reliable option as compared to bleach solution. Try to get bleach if at all possible.

2. Clean each item or surface of visible dirt, as you normally would. Place items on a surface with no visible dirt or soil on it.
4. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water.
6. Thoroughly scrub down a clean surface on which you can leave things you’ve cleaned.
8. Wash your hands again, pick up each item, thoroughly scrub the item on all surfaces, and rinse in clean water.
10. Place it on the surface you scrubbed earlier.
12. With freshly washed hands, place items in a new unused, or also washed, plastic bag until needed.