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Ways the Community Can Help in the COVID-19 Response Including Donation Needs

The NC Department of Health and Human Services, AppHealthCare and local agencies are urging people to cooperate with Governor Cooper’s Executive Order to stay home except for essential trips, practice social distancing and good hygiene like handwashing and covering your cough or sneeze. It is critical to keep in mind that during this challenging time of responding to the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) public health crisis, following the guidance to stay home as much as possible is the most important mitigation measure the community can take. This situation is affecting each person in our community in different ways, and we are all experiencing disruptions to our normal schedule.

There are ways you can help your fellow community members from afar and while practicing social distancing. The following list includes resources, donation and volunteer needs in Watauga County but this list is certainly not inclusive of all needs. We know as this situation changes in our community, the needs will also change. There are many ways you can help our community during this time.

Please find a comprehensive list of community resources on the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce webpage.

Donation Needs:

  • Appalachian Regional Healthcare System: Donate the following supplies to ARHS: Medical grade surgical and procedure masks; N95 respirator masks; Face Shields; Gloves; Gowns; Hand sanitizer. You can drop these items off at the front entrance of Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital in Linville or the security checkpoint at Watauga Medical Center in Boone. You can also donate money directly to ARHS to support the ongoing efforts of Appalachian Regional Healthcare System to respond to COVID-19, or to directly support patients in need. Online donation link here.
  • American Red Cross: Give Blood – Blood Drive at the Paul H. Broyhill Wellness Center April 16 @ 10:00 am – 2:30 pm. Mark your calendars and make your appointment at www.redcrossblood.org and enter in the sponsor code: Watauga Medical Center or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.
  • High Country United Way: Donate to High Country United Way’s local relief fund that will go towards providing community members with critical information and services like food, financial assistance, and more. You can donate
  • Hunger and Health Coalition: Donate to Hunger and Health Coalition’s fundraiser to provide emergency food and life sustaining medication to their clients and community members in need. You can donate
  • Rumple Presbyterian Church: Boxes approximately 17″X11″ (printer paper box size) needed to pack food for families. If you have some to donate please drop them off at Rumple Presbyterian Church (1218 Main Street, Blowing Rock).
  • theHeart: Drop off cards and decorations on Wednesdays, 1-4pm; theHeart Office (191 Howard St., downtown Boone). These will be delivered to area assisted care facilities/nursing homes. Learn more about how you can support this and other COVID-19 response efforts
  • Deerfield Ridge Assisted Living: Sponsor a resident; you can send your resident letters, notes, pictures, etc. to support residents during visitor restrictions. Please contact Candice Myers at 828-264-0336 to sign up.
  • Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge: The Foley Center is in need of a wireless bluetooth headset for residents to participate in activities from the doorway of their rooms. This can be dropped off at The Foley Center. Any donations and supplies and food for staff (ex: coffee and donuts) are always welcome.
  • The Children’s Council: Donate diapers in sizes 4, 5 and 6, pull ups, baby wipes, and formula (particularly formula for special dietary needs). Donations of product can be dropped off at the Health & Hunger Coalition at 141 Health Center Drive #C, Boone NC 28607. (828) 262-1628. Financial donations can be made online http://www.thechildrenscouncil.org/ or by check mailed to the Children’s Council of Watauga County at 225 Birch Street, Suite 3 Boone, NC 28607.
  • Local Businesses: Consider sponsoring breakfast, lunch, or dinner for frontline staff during this time. Purchase gift cards or take-out meals from local businesses.
  • Mountaineer Emergency Fund: Appalachian State University has launched a fund to assist students through unforeseen financial emergencies or urgent situations that would prevent them from continuing their education at Appalachian. The fund provides short-term grants to students to help cover expenses such as child care, food, prescriptions, housing, e-books, online learning materials and other needs. Learn more, apply for assistance or donate here.

Volunteer Needs:

  • Healthcare Workers: If you are a health care worker and want to volunteer for COVID-19 response you can sign up through NC TERMS at: https://terms.ncem.org/TRS/. For help with registering, please call (828) 264-4995 and dial 2222 or email us at preparedness@apphealth.com and give us your name, expertise/credentials, and a call back number.
  • AppHealthCare (Appalachian District Health Department) – Email preparedness@apphealth.comto inquire about volunteering

AppHealthCare is available and on-call 24/7 to respond to public health emergencies. To reach us, call (828) 264-4995 anytime and follow the prompts. For more information, visit www.AppHealthCare.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

For more information on COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), please visit the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) website at cdc.gov/coronavirus. North Carolina resources can be found on the Division of Public Health website at ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus.

A COVID-19 toll free helpline has been set up to answer general, non-emergent questions at 1-866-462-3821. To submit questions online, go to www.ncpoisoncontrol.org and select “chat.”