The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an unprecedented wave of challenges for students, faculty, and staff. In March 2020, a thousand community colleges in the United States shifted to online instruction, which affected around 10 million students. Community colleges are used to responding to their communities during times of crisis. But individual colleges should not have to carry this weight alone. This is not the first time that community colleges have faced a difficult time and shown that a group of institutions can improve access and instruction. Lessons from the last recession can show how to share the burden and improve online learning and simulation through collaboration.