Volunteering and Being a Good Neighbor During COVID-19

For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 19, 2020

Many Montgomery County residents, seeing their neighbors and members of the community in distress, are looking to help and volunteer during these difficult times.

The Montgomery County Volunteer Center website continues to be a resource for connecting volunteers and nonprofits. There is now a “Volunteer Response to COVID-19” section where people can see any current requests for volunteers and donations posted by local organizations. 

“There is definitely an outpouring of support from the community as many people want to get involved to help others,” said Molly Callaway, Volunteer Center director.  “At the same time, we are all working to abide by guidelines for social distancing and keeping everyone safe. A good way to support the community is to provide financial donations directly to an organization of your choice that is supporting the response. Given the prolonged length of this response, it is anticipated that requests for volunteers and donations will change over time.”

Montgomery County has created Guidance for Non-Clinical Volunteers, which includes tips for “how to be a good neighbor,” with recommendations to check in with your neighbors, members of your congregation, and others by phone, email, or text. There are many wonderful examples of these grassroots volunteer connections with neighbors that are happening across the County. 

Montgomery County has an established network of nonprofits activated in emergency situations, the COAD – Community Organizations Active in Disaster. These organizations and many others are very active right now, working together with each other,  the County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services. These agencies and other organizations will post requests on the Volunteer Center website as they recruit volunteers.

For the latest updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 website and follow

Montgomery County on Facebook @MontgomeryCountyInfo and Twitter @MontgomeryCoMD.

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Contact Julie Parker, julie.parker@montgomerycountymd.gov 

Release ID: 20-102
Media Contact: Julie Parker 240-777-6507