GOOD Samaritans have come up with a series of creative ways to collect money and support their community amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Fundraising efforts have focused on a wide variety of causes, from providing pastries to hard-working frontline NHS staff to caring for abandoned cats.

One of these schemes is the Frontline19.com campaign, set up by a small team of therapists and psychologists to provide free mental health and emotional wellbeing support to healthcare workers.

It came after they heard stories of trauma experienced by doctors and nurses during this testing period.

The website has since grown and now has more than 500 therapists responding to “growing numbers of distress calls from doctors and nurses”.

But team members say the site is struggling to cope with the sheer demand.

They are looking to upgrade their system so they can support as many healthcare workers as possible.

A spokesman for the site said: “Our first goal is £7,000 to begin the complex web build at rapid speed on Monday morning.

“Within two weeks we urgently need £20,000 to fully automate our system and get the message to every heroic NHS frontline worker so they can save lives without compromising their own mental and emotional wellbeing.”

A GoFundMe page was set up on Saturday, and the campaign has already raised more than £5,000 from 125 donations.

Following Thursday’s emotional tribute to NHS staff, in which thousands of people united to cheer and applaud from their homes at 8pm, this is not the only campaign looking to support healthcare workers.

Support NHS Staff With A Pastry And Loaf Of Bread does what it says on the tin and has already garnered a strong base of supporters.

It was started by Mark Ward, whose sisters both work in hospitals in Brighton.

They told him their colleagues do not even have time to buy something as simple as a loaf of bread – and that gave Mark an idea.

In partnership with Brighton’s The Flour Pot Bakery, he is aiming to provide pastries and bread to NHS staff in Worthing and Brighton.

Mark said: “The more we raise, the more mouths will be fed and any extra funds will help patients and their families who are struggling at this time with pastries and bread.

“We don’t know who will be affected by this, so this is a simple way to show your gratitude for the work they’re doing 24/7.”

More than £1,700 has been collected since the page was started late last week.

It is not just people who have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

The City Cat Shelter campaign has smashed its £200 target, allowing the Brighton site to continue its work in housing rescued pets.

Another animal-based GoFundMe page to have been started recently is the RepTylers Animal Food Fund.

The Brighton business “brings the zoo to you” by visiting schools, parties and more with its huge selection of snakes, reptiles and more.

But, with the outbreak of coronavirus in the UK, the independent company quickly went from having more than 100 events booked in the next two months to having everything cancelled.

The page was started to help raise funds to feed all of its animals, and more than £425 has so far been donated towards its £1,500 target.