How you can support your local community through the cost of living crisis
Many people will be struggling with the cost of living but also many people may want to support others in their communities. If you want to help we have listed a number of ways you could help.
Looking out for people around you
Many people may struggle to either access support or find out what support is available to them. If you have friends, family or neighbours that you think may be struggling you could help by:
- Checking in on people you know - you could knock on the door of an elderly neighbour, friend or family member to check they have food or heating
- Passing on information about what support is available - some people do not have access to the internet or other places where people can find out about support. You could help someone to access the information on what support is available
- Encourage people to access support - many people are hesitant to access support or feel that there is a stigma around claiming financial or other support. You could encourage them to access the help available to them.
Donate to a local cause
If you are able to, you could donate to support a local community group or other support organisation and help them to help local people. We will post specific donation requests here as local groups ask us to. You can also see what support groups are available locally on our Support available in your community page here.
Take part in a national support scheme
There are a number of national support schemes running where you could help support local people:
OLIO
OLIO connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. This could be food nearing its sell-by date in local stores, spare home-grown vegetables, bread from your baker, or the groceries in your fridge when you go away. For your convenience, OLIO can also be used for non-food household items, too. Find out more about OLIO here.
Warm Welcome
Warm Welcome is a national scheme looking to support local communities to set up warm spaces. If you run a local organisation and want to set up a warm space they can provide support. Find out more about setting up a warm space here. You can also download a guide to creating a warm space here.
Volunteer for a local support group
There are many local groups and organisations that need volunteer support to help them deliver support to local people.
If you would like to find out more about volunteering opportunities in the local area please visit Volunteer Link Up or OCVA/Oxon Volunteers.