Volunteers In Vancouver Step up to Help Those Affected By COVID-19

An online group called Coming Together Vancouver has formed to offer support to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The volunteers have come together to create a GoFundMe Campaign to provide relief for those suffering due to the social and economic impacts of COVID-19.

According to a press release from the group, over 300 requests for financial aid have been approved already. The first batch of funds, totalling at $26,000, was released for the first week of April.

“The response has been overwhelming. So many people are in need of support right now,” wrote group co-founder Yolanda Clatworthy in the press release.

“It is great that governments are stepping up, but many people cannot wait weeks for that aid to arrive. People need to pay bills and buy groceries now.”

Clatworthy described the motivation behind the group’s creation as “addressing the immediate needs of [the] community’s most vulnerable and enabling them to shelter in place safely.”

“We have done this by facilitating social support and distributing financial aid,” she wrote.

One of the group organizers, Ravi Patel, joined Coming Together Vancouver a few days after it launched. Now, he helps keep the group running, and says his experience with the organization has been emotional.

“Every time we see a success story or see gratitude on the Facebook group or emails we receive, it really helps the energy and morale,” he says. “It’s also very hard.”

So far, the group has raised $60,000 and is set to distribute about half of that to 300 people. Already, there’s more funding on the way.

The funds are distributed in batches, and applicants can receive between $25 and $100.

During the application process, people are asked to note if they’ve received financial aid. Applicants can voluntarily disclose if they are on disability allowance, employment insurance, or other forms of assistance. They are also asked if they need cash or e-transfer and what the money would be spent on.

“It’s a trust-based system. We can’t [verify] everyone,” says Patel. “We’re not set up to do that. We don’t want to do that. We’re trusting that the majority … of people applying will be trustworthy and tell us the right thing and we will honour that.”

The group has also created an app to connect more people around Vancouver and Victoria.

“Our goal is to keep driving users [to help]. We’ve seen some people emailing us saying ‘I’ve helped two or three people with the app.’ It is here so if anyone needs help they can see everyone else that has opted support and then contact the right person,” says Patel.