Is Good Sam a Good Thing?

[IDSNeighbour]

Has anybody started doing this?

I applied ages ago but only got approved yesterday and now I'm worried about doing it.

There's so many threads berating people for driving and for going into shops more than once a week. So many judgements about what people put in their baskets and how much. So many people saying you shouldn't be going anywhere you don't absolutely have to go.

And the NHS and government are pleasing with us to listen and stay inside.

But if I toggle my app to on duty, I could be going out, driving and into shops several times a day. Which is more than half the reason I wanted to do it, to be honest (live on my own in the middle of nowhere and so lonely and frustrated it's driving me mad!)

Is this useful? Is this what the NHS want?

Or is the whole thing just a 'do gooder' keep busy thing that people in charge wish we, the general public, wouldn't interfere with.

I don't know what to do for the best. Thoughts?

I don't even understand what you're talking about. Volunteer direct with a local organisation to do shopping and food parcel drops, it's what I did. Yes we are out and about, with PPE, helping those who absolutely can't obtain groceries and medicines through needing to isolate or lack of funds. That's not busy-work it is absolutely needed.

I'm averaging 4 or 5 every single day myself and there are a dozen or so volunteers doing the same. We are just one rural district in the Midlands.

I'm sure one of my neighbours will be curtain twitching but he's a regular Hyacinth Bucket anyway. Even if he reports me so what? I'm doing nothing wrong. The same applies if you go and do something too.

One local store has a member of staff pick n pack for some of our food shopping requirements, another let's us in first ahead of the queues and another just asks that we use the self-service till.

Since doing it I have kept a movement journal, indicating which addresses I've been to and whether I've gone inside (residential addresses are all outside doorstep drops) and supermarkets are a mix of outside collection or inside shopping. I also have an ID badge and authorisation letter too that tells whoever it may concern to talk to our local MP! I'm sure others will be a similar set up.

If you want to help and safely can please do, it absolutely is not busy-work but needed work. I can only imagine it is going to get even more needed the longer this goes on.

Ok, thanks Annie.

Good Sam is the same thing but national, I think so includes drop offs for surgeries and hospitals.

I do want to do it but I'm really scared of 'curtain twitchers' I have very poor mental health and resilience so when people get judgey and cross I just cry. I've been known to get shaky and tearful after being beeped at by cars!!

Hi OP I am a good Sam responder and also an down as a person to call locally. This is absolutely needed, today I got food for someone, prescription for another and an over the counter medication for a third. Ignore the curtain twitchers and be confident you are doing your bit

I signed up also a few weeks ago and was sent a link a few days ago. I’ve got reservations about the app (not the service itself though), but also am wary of going out at the moment - I do not want to be ill in the middle of the peak.

I might look at it again in a few weeks.

Locally, many, many street groups and volunteers have put themselves forward and someone did comment in one of the chat groups that there’s more volunteers than people who need help. That may not be the case in other areas though.