volunteer@westmarincs.org 

Hello, Neighbor, 

West Marin has a long and well-deserved reputation for being independent and able to dig deep to help those in need. Many of you are already engaged in helping your neighbors and community organizations weather this storm.     

The COVID-19 pandemic has created special problems and opportunities for volunteering. As the outbreak grows, some of our community groups and organizations may lose their usual volunteer support or need more volunteers than usual. As a volunteer for West Marin Community Services (WMCS) I am keeping a list of potential volunteers for the area served by WMCS.  We will be posting “requests for volunteers”  as new needs and tasks come up. The tasks might include delivering food to shut-ins, helping with food distribution, staffing a phone bank to get information out, or other tasks that the community might need.  

The Coronavirus pandemic is a unique situation. Unlike other disasters where volunteers have been key to supporting our community, this disaster requires us to stay home and limit contact and congregations of large and/or outside groups. The key to managing the COVID-19 pandemic is physical distancing, so the groups and community organizations you will be volunteering for in person will be diligently enforcing physical distancing practices and screening volunteers.  We will be doing most of the coordination by email. We may schedule through a website If the contact list grows large, so you will need to have web access and a phone. 

There will be requests for tasks that can be done from home, but some will have to be done in person. Please use the following questions to see if you should volunteer in person. 

Are you 65 years of age or older? 

Do you live with someone who is 65 years of age or older? 

Do any of the following apply to you or someone you live with: heart disease, asthma, diabetes, undergoing treatment for cancer, respiratory/lung disease, immuno-supressed or weakened immune system. 

Are you sick or have you been sick in the last 14 days? 

Have you been around anyone who is sick or has been sick in the last 14 days? 

Have you been in contact with anyone who has been tested and diagnosed with COVID-19? 

Have you traveled within the last 14 days? 

If you answered YES to any of these questions, it is not safe for you to volunteer in person at this time. Please sign up for volunteer tasks in your home. 

Thank you for your desire to support your community. 

Roy Pitts, WMCS volunteer 

volunteer@westmarincs.org 

For WMCS Staff and Socorro Romo