BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Walmart is partnering with Nextdoor, a social network for neighborhoods, to make it easier for neighbors to help one another during the coronavirus pandemic.

The partners on Thursday announced the launch of Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a program that facilitates Nextdoor members in either asking for help or offering help in shopping for food, medications and other essentials.

In a joint press release, the partners said the new program should make it easier for vulnerable community members to coordinate with neighbors who are planning a trip to a Walmart store.

“I’ve seen first-hand the countless ways our Walmart team is working together during this challenging time, leading with humanity, compassion and understanding to serve our customers,” according to Janey Whiteside, Walmart’s chief customer officer.

In helping customers consolidate their trips, Walmart expects to lower risks for shoppers and employees in its stores.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors builds on Nextdoor’s recently launched Groups feature, which enables members to organize around a shared interest or project, said Sarah Friar, chief executive officer at San Francisco-based Nextdoor. Members have also been using Groups to check in on elderly and vulnerable neighbors, offer to run an errand or otherwise be of assistance.

“In recent weeks, we’ve been blown away by the number of members who have raised their hand to run an errand, go to the grocery store, or pick up a prescription for a neighbor,” said Friar. “We’re grateful for Walmart’s partnership to make this important connection between neighbors around vital services, and we’re proud to come together to ensure everyone has a neighborhood to rely on.”

Nextdoor members can use the new service by visiting Nextdoor.com or logging on to the Nextdoor app, which is available on both iOS and Android phones. From there members click on the Groups tab and view a Walmart stores area pinned to the top of the page. Members will be prompted to share a message in the group feed, where they can indicate if they need help or want to help.

“We’re inspired everyday by the kindness of people around the world who are stepping up and helping out,” said Friar. Privately held Nextdoor has a presence in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Denmark.