Practical neighbourhood assistance

How an app helps us shop in solidarity

From 23 March, COVID-19 also imposed nationwide exit and contact restrictions in Germany for a few weeks. In the middle of the lockdown, a group of social entrepreneurs* and volunteers decided to become active and make their very own contribution to neighbourhood help. They developed the “Bring&Ring” app, a platform for private individuals to coordinate shopping assistance. The knodel foundation accompanied the development process and supported the volunteer developers financially with their project. Furthermore, the project was supported by private donations.

Background information

The app arose from the need to provide support for those who, due to COVID-19 or the protective measures taken, are unable to move outside the home without outside help. This is because not all people can fall back on neighbours* and family in times of restricted access or contact. This does not only affect people in risk groups, but also, for example, their relatives, single parents in the home office or people in systemically important professions. What could these people need? What could relieve them? This is how the idea of a neighbourly delivery and collection service came about.

How does the Bring & Ring app work?

Every person who cannot or should not leave the house can load their shopping list into the app. Volunteers carry out the shopping and then place it on the doorstep of the person placing the order. The service is free of charge, the shopping can be paid via the app and a tip can be given on a voluntary basis as a thank you. The app is free of charge and enables completely contactless shopping including the organisation and processing of payment transactions. With the help of the app, everyone is using digital means to help each other and stay healthy – even outside the Corona crisis.

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