Melbourne, Australia:
5000 Australians have joined Angel Next Door - a community help startup founded in Geelong to connect help-seekers and helpers discreetly.
Life in the time of corona is tough.
Put yourself in the shoes of the father of five recovering from open-heart bypass surgery.
He found out on the drive home from hospital that his work had closed down. He'd lost his job.
Five children, renting, a car loan and no income – and the long road back from cardiac surgery. That's tough.
Distressed by his family's situation, a friend put out a call for help to Angel Next Door – a new community help site where neighbours can provide hands-on, practical help for people in need.
It didn't take long for the mayday call to be answered as neighbouring angels swung into action providing fruit and vegies, milk and bread and groceries, a meat pack.
Like many others, the family was stressed trying to secure help from an overwhelmed Centrelink, but the Angel Next Door took the harsh edge off their immediate emergency.
Angel Next door is a web startup – angelnextdoor.com.au – founded by Geelong Entrepreneurs Aamir Qutub and Rory Costelloe.
Tech Entrepreneur, Aamir Qutub, like many others, found himself caught short of toilet paper and called his sister, Saba, to see if she could help. Luckily, she could. It triggered a Eureka moment for the Tech Entrepreneur, who threw himself into a website project he's called Angel Next Door.
It's spearheaded by Australian idol singer and presenter Kim Cooper, herself a full-time carer for her disabled Dad, John.
"During this time, it's so important that we come together as a community to support those around us," Kim says.
"We can't all save the world right now but we can definitely make a positive difference to our little slice of it.
"It may simply be cooking a meal or doing a grocery shop for someone in your street who needs a little support."
The whole Angel Next Door process is simple. Helpers and people in need register online and as requests arise the nearest neighbours swing into action.
Deliveries, gardening, advice, emotional support, putting out the bins, transport, running errands, walking the dog … whatever the need, the Angel Army is all about helping out quickly and efficiently.
"We get an average of 7 offers for each help request – and you get help in first 30 minutes of posting a help request on an average" said Aamir Qutub, Co-Founder of Angel Next Door.
To date, the website has been helping elderly, ill and infirm people as well as others isolated by the corona quarantine. Others include:
. A GP seeking webcams for online consultations.
. A man suffering back injuries seeking mowing help.
. A woman seeking pick-up help for a washing machine.
. A woman with a heart condition isolated from her children needing groceries help.
Privacy is paramount, to guard against hackers and scammers but also for those who might feel embarrassed about asking for help.
In its first two weeks, Angel Next Door has attracted 5000 registrations. And it's continuing to grow rapidly.
Villawood Properties has turned its giant corten metal Geelong Ring Road messaging to the cause, with three-metre-high letters spelling out #angelnextdoor to passing motorists.
"This is a wonderful idea to connect people who need help with people who'd like to help," Villawood's Rory Costelloe said.
