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QUICKLY SPOT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
This buttery yellow color
indicates volunteer
opportunities.
Have an hour or two?
CanDo helps make it easy
to make a difference.
See this image?
It's a
family friendly
event.
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COVID-19 TESTING
Napa County cases are burgeoning.
COVID-19 testing is encouraged for all adults who live or work in Napa County.
Tests are now offered at the Napa Expo Thursday-Saturday by appointment only. They are available other days of the week in American Canyon, St. Helena and Calistoga.
Click
here to find everything you need to know about Napa County's testing program and how to make an appointment
or
call 707.253.4540.
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CanDo
QUICK TIP
WORKING FROM HOME BECAUSE OF COVID-19?
from Consumer Reports on creating an ergonomic work station at home.
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WORDS MATTER
"Don't flail against the world, use it.
F
lexibility
is the operative principle..."
-Sun Tzu
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Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) deploys volunteers to activities prioritized by the county as serving our most vulnerable neighbors.
When COVID-19 struck, they created Volunteers on Call (VOC), a simple system to help get help where it's most needed. Opportunities are offered via email, but Volunteers on Call need only accept opportunities that feel like a good fit.
Start the simple three-step registration by completing this form. Your contact info will NEVER be shared with third parties.
Share this
link
with friends and neighbors.
They need not be involved with CanDo.
They just need to care.
Spread the word --- not the virus.
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CanDo's
FOOD RESCUE TEAM
YES, 400+ POUNDS OF FOOD!
GREAT NEWS, but...
Steve and Cindy Deutsch are regular Food Rescue Team Lead Volunteers. We are so grateful to them for all their help with this important project.
Our amazing Farmers Market vendors are outdoing themselves. Every Saturday this summer, CanDo's Food Rescue Team volunteers have
received 400-500 lbs. of delicious produce for the
Food Bank and the
Homeless Shelter.
This means that each week, we need at least 3 volunteers, maybe 4, to get this job done efficiently. The need has never been greater for this bounty of food, nor for volunteers.
We're done in under 2 hours. Pick any Saturday, year-round.
Older teens and families
are welcome.
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BITS AND PIECES
PERFECT COVID-19 GETAWAY?
"A secluded retreat in South Iceland caters to guests who want to be surrounded by nature. You will be literally immersed in it, staying in your own private bubble nestled in the forest.
"You can sleep under the vast sea of twinkling stars and be entirely enclosed in the glass bubble. If you are lucky, you'll get a once-in-a-lifetime view of the aurora borealis over your head.
"Robert Robertsson, the owner and managing director of the Buubble project based in Reykjavík, summed it up saying, 'Some childhood dreams stay with us for our whole lives.
Sleeping under the stars or watching the aurora borealis dance is one of those lifelong dreams.'
"The entrepreneur created the Bubble concept to fulfill those dreams. And, now with COVID-19 cases down to one or two per day in Iceland, it might be the perfect pandemic getaway."
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The Choices We Make
Napa Valley CanDo seeks to inspire and facilitate action
by alerting interested Valley residents about opportunities for service. If you participate as a volunteer in an activity that you learned about through Napa Valley CanDo, whether initiated by CanDo or another organization, please take personal responsibility for your involvement. Use common sense. Only you can determine whether an activity is a good
fit, that is to say
compatible with your interests and abilities.
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HERE'S WHAT YOU
CanDo
TO GET INVOLVED
Preventing food insecurity: In CanDo's Garden for the Food Bank we grow
fresh, local produce for the CAN-V Food Bank. CanDo's Food Rescue Team collects produce from generous Napa Farmers' Market vendors for the Food Bank and Homeless Shelter.
Email
Karen.
Waterway Keepers began as a CanDo project. Now it's orchestrated by our friends at the Napa Co. Resource Conservation District. Volunteers help maintain our river and streams to keep them vibrant and alive.
Email
Ashley.
Raises funds and awareness for local nonprofits in a year-end giving campaign. Planning takes place beginning each spring. Lots of ways to help!
Email hilary or Nancy.
CanDo has a brilliant
program to share food with neighbors in need.
Email Marilyn.
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GOT BACKYARD PRODUCE?
This just in: You're invited to bring your extra backyard harvest to CANV's Napa Valley Food Bank. It will be lovingly distributed to neighbors who will just - well - eat it up!
Last week, one gentleman farmer brought in
815 lbs.of goodness from just one gr
apefruit tree.
Please plan to harvest yourself. If that's just not possible, you may email Karen with a request for assistance. But know that during COVID-19, help from gleaners may not be possible.
You may pick up empty boxes or drop of produce at the Food Bank 7AM-2:30PM, M-F.
LOCATION: 1766 Industrial Way, Napa
DAYS/TIMES: M-F 7am-2:30PM
Share the produce, not the virus!
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SOMETIMES YOU JUST
NEED TO PIVOT
Understatement:
COVID-19 has had an impact
on most every aspect of our lives.
So while CanDo's Food Project volunteers were disappointed when the Food Bank asked us to suspend our green bag pick ups for a time, we weren't
surprised. Conditions
had changed drastically.
Between stay-at-home orders and sudden job losses the Food Bank has had to revamp its food acquisition and distribution plans.
At the height of the shut down, they were providing food to six times the usual number of Napa County clients. Those numbers have quieted a bit, but still far exceed the need prior to the pandemic.
We are in awe of the Food Banks' efforts.
We'll check with the Food Bank in another couple of weeks to determine what action is best regarding our scheduled August 8 green bag pick up. But in the meantime, we simply asked,
"What is it that we CanDo?"
Generous CanDo members have now donated
directly to the Food bank so that they can buy exactly what's needed.
Want to pitch in?
Make checks payable to:
Napa Valley Food Bank
1766 Industrial Way
Napa, CA 94558
Please write CanDo on the memo line.
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NAPA'S TEST SITE:
MORE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Napa County's COVID-19 testing program is expanding!
The need is critical if we are to test increasing numbers of residents.
We need more non-medical volunteers, 18-60 years old, to support the medical staff at the Napa Expo site, Thursdays-Saturdays.
Unable to take on this position? PLEASE think about those you know who might be able to assist.
Volunteers
must register and be sworn in through Volunteers on Call (VOC). Start that process
here
To see just what's needed to help in this incredibly important work, read
more.
Spread the word ... not the virus.
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PROMPTED BY INCREASED SOCIAL AWARENESS
IN THE PRESENT . . .
HERE'S MORE ON NAPA's COMPLICATED PAST
"History, despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived,
but if faced with courage need not be lived again."
-- Maya Angelou
We had such a positive response to our piece on local native and historian, Alexandria Brown, that we thought we'd back up a year.
Here is a
Napa Register article by Howard Yune from a year ago. It focuses on Brown's
2019 book,
Hidden History
of Napa Valley,
brought Napa's unsung peoples to the fore.
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COMPOST CORNER:
GOOD NEWS
REUSABLE BAGS ARE BACK!
As of July 1, Napa County customers are once again allowed to bring their own bags into stores -
as long as they bag their groceries themselves.
Appendix A in
the Napa
County Social Distancing Guidelines
includes revised language under the section "Measures to Prevent Unnecessary Contact":
"Require customers using reusable bags
from home to bag their own groceries."
Tim Dewey Mattia, of Napa Recycling and Waste Services, tells us, "The catch is that at this point all the stores probably need to be notified that bags are allowed. Stores are also supposed to be charging 10 cents for paper or the thick "reusable" bags ... and not giving out any flimsy plastic bags at all."
So, although the County requirement has changed,
you may encounter stores that are not yet aware of the changes or need additional time to update policies and procedures before accepting customers' reusable bags.
Be polite. Spread the good word.
Email
questions about
Curbside Composting
or recycling to
"Compost Corner."
Responses graciously provided by
Tim Dewey-Mattia,
Napa Recycling
& Waste Services.
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THE
CanDo SPOTLIGHT
Events and Volunteer Opportunities
from Other Groups Around the Valley
Tell 'em you heard about it through CanDo!
Note: Posting events in this "Spotlight" does not constitute an endorsement by Napa Valley CanDo unless expressly stated.
We list a variety of
opportunities and
programs we feel may be of interest to our readers. Explore! Enjoy! Get involved!
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WILD NAPA: ONLINE BEETLE TALK
WITH STEPHANIE DOLE
SPONSOR: Napa RCD and Napa County Library
Stephanie Dole, Ph.D. (The Beetle Lady) will show us that bugs are captivating, engaging, and accessible. In this engaging program, she educates people of all ages about the science and nature of bugs.
DAY/DATE/TIME: W
ednesday, July 8, 7-8:30PM
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CLIMATE ADVOCACY TRAINING
SPONSOR: Napa Climate NOW!
If you've been wanting to find a way to assist in the global fight for climate solutions, this is one of the trainings that Napa Climate NOW! offers a few times throughout the year. It will teach you the skills you need to talk about climate change in your community, generate action from local government, and inspire action in others. This interactive program is geared towards individuals who might have full-time jobs, but who also want to do what they can in a limited amount of time. You'll meet scientists, local elected leaders, and some of your neighbors.
DAY/DATE/TIME:
Saturday, July 25, noon-4PM
LOCATION:
ZOOM
COST: Attendance is free, but all participants who wish to join us must complete our application form.
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DIG DEEPER SUMMER LIBRARY ADVENTURE
SPONSOR: Napa County Library
All ages are invited to join the Summer Library Adventure at the Napa County Library. This year's theme is "Dig Deeper, Read!" The community is invited to read, investigate and discover new books, materials and events at your local library this summer either virtually or in person. Registration for the 2020 Summer Library Adventure runs through August 31st. Sign up online at
www.napalibrary.org/sla.
DATES:
Now through August 31st
LOCATION:
Napa Main Library, 580 Coombs Street
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LIKE TO HAVE YOUR EVENT IN THE
CanDo
SPOTLIGHT?
Are you a nonprofit in need of volunteers?
Or do you have a fundraiser, educational opportunity,
or fun event you'd like to
share in CanDo's SPOTLIGHT?
Space permitting, your post may run for up to three weeks leading to the date of your event. Photos you'd
like us to consider MUST be sent as a jpg.
FFI: Learn more and submit event
here
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SUBMISSION DEADLINE: S
unday, 6PM for the following Tuesday's blast.
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| New to CanDo?
Click
here
to receive this nifty weekly eNewsletter.
The
CanDo Connection
is filled
with volunteer
opportunities
and
events to
help you
connect
with
community.
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