NV CanDo >> Logo

 You want to help.  We make it easy.  TM


The CanDo Connection                                                               March 24, 2020
In This Issue

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. 
Family Friendly Event

See this image? 
It's a  family friendly  event.


SOMETHING  NEW  IS  
IN  THE  WORKS FOR 
CanDo

Stay tuned for information in the next week or so about CanDo's upcoming role 
during this challenging time. 
We expect we may need all sorts of volunteers 
in all sorts of capacities.

Let's do all 
we CanDo to reach in to the best in ourselves and then reach out to one another. 
Together, we will
face this challenge.
 

WORDS  MATTER

"Doing something that is productive is a great way to  alleviate 

-Ziggy Marley


QUICK TIPS

HELPFUL RESOURCES
(MOSTLY LOCAL)

(Click on "Services")

for CalFresh 
( food stamps) and other  services during shelter-at-home (Napa County) *

The deadline has been extended to apply for medical coverage through Covered California
 (the ACA).
 


Apply for Unemployment Insurance here.
(For faster service, 
use UI Online)

Funds are available for workers who live in Napa County, whose household income is at or below 120% of Area Median Income, and who do not qualify for government-sponsored unemployment or paid family leave benefits.  English/Spanish.

* Click on the "Select Language" button at the bottom right corner of your screen to access information in other languages.


BITS  AND  PIECES

FOLKCLOUD:
A complete archive of folk music for all countries

In every country, city or village, there are musicians who play the traditional music of their area. 


introduces them to the world.


CanDo's 
FOOD  RESCUE  TEAM
We Need Your Help Now 
More Than Ever

Resources are becoming scarcer, as you know. The donations of fresh produce and specialty goods we receive from our fabulous Napa Farmers Market vendors each Saturday fill a growing need in our community.

Can you lend a hand? 
It takes less than two hours. 
You choose any Saturday that works for you, year-round.

Click here for details 
and to sign up.



STIRRING THINGS UP
(Exploring potential changes for 
CanDo's Napa ValleyFood Project)

This gathering was scheduled for Wednesday, March 25.

No rescheduling date yet.  Keep your eyes on the
CanDo Connection for a date later this spring.

 
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. 


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. 


CanDo's 
  NAPA  VALLEY  FOOD  PROJECT
APRIL 11 PICKUP CANCELED

As Jean Arthur, that feisty 40s actress says in a favorite movie of mine, Only Angels Have Wings, "Things sure happen fast around here."

We've never lived through an interruption in our daily lives like this. There will be many pieces to help pick up once the COVID-19 virus abates, but right now, we need to keep one another safe. 

We are cancelling the pick up day April 11th. 

Despite our disappointment, the good news is that the Food Bank is doing all right just now. The cancellation comes after extensive discussions with Shirley King, the Food Bank's program coordinator. She feels that she cannot guarantee the safety of volunteers, no matter what precautions (masks, gloves, use of paper bags not green bags) we might take. We agree with her.

I t turns out that the biggest need for the Food Bank right now is not for non-perishable food, but meat and dairy. Shirley purchases these in vast quantities and  is already spending above normal to buy these items. An influx of cash donations will help to meet the needs of the community. 

If you are able and inclined to do so, consider making a tax-deductible donation. Make checks payable to:

Napa Valley Food Bank
1766 Industrial Way - Napa, 94558

Please write CanDo in the memo line so that the Food Bank can track the source.

If you prefer, you may give using the Food Bank's website link found here.

Thanks so much.


SO  MANY  WAYS  TO  TOUCH WITHOUT  TOUCHING

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you CanDo." 

-- John Wooden

In a recent piece in  Yes! Magazine , Fran Korten suggests that the phrase "social distancing" is a bit misleading. 
Physical distancing is critical, but finding ways to maintain social contact is equally so! 

"At this time of enormous stress, fear, and uncertainty, social isolation is dangerous to our well-being. Although we can't experience closeness through jostling each other at a game, applauding together at a play, lingering over an intimate meal at a restaurant, we can use every tool available to stay socially close. We need each other now more than ever while staying physically distant."

Here are a few ideas CanDo Connection folks are sharing to help maintain the closeness that is so essential 
  • Leave flowers or cookies outside the front door of a neighbor.
  • Call - just to chat - especially to someone you've been meaning to call for ages.
  • Wave!
  • Buy groceries for someone who's been laid off.
  • Organize a lawn concert or dance in your neighborhood from afar for a virtual block party.
  • Send a handwritten note or a child's drawing to someone who's staying at home place.
  • Offer to shop or mow the lawn.
  • Share a prayer.
  • Invest in a gift card at a local business that's hurting. Even if you're quarantined, you can use it later and they can use your support now.
  • Embrace social media. 
  • Be brave! Serenade a friend.
CanDo wants to know what else you're doing to help stay Connected. Inspired. Empowered.

Email us. Write KEEPING CONNECTED in the subject line.
Or give us a call:  707.252.7743


IT'S  SPRING!
MAY  WE  SUGGEST  A  WALK  OUTSIDE
(just don't hug the trees)



"When I am Among the Trees"

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, "Stay awhile."
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, "It's simple," they say,
"and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine."

                                               --- Mary Oliver 


COMPOST  CORNER  

Folks have asked, 
"Whether dealing with 
COVID-19 or other infectious illnesses like the flu , what's  current guidance on proper home medical waste disposal?"

(Thanks for the information, Tim!)

  • How should household waste that comes from a home where a patient with COVID-19 be managed?
Based on discussions with the CDC, waste from households can be  managed as they typically would be for the flu. No special precautions  are necessary.
  • How should waste be managed that comes from office or retail outlets where a patient has COVID- 19?
Waste from commercial businesses and retail entities can be managed as  they typically are unless directed by their local health department.
  • Are there any special efforts that need to be made to disinfect surfaces from COVID-19?
The virus can easily be killed by detergents and disinfectants at regular  temperatures used for washing. 
For a specific list of approved products, please 
refer to EPA's list of registered antimicrobial products for use against Novel  Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19. See this link or this.

Email  questions about 
Curbside Composting 
or recycling to 
"Compost Corner." 

Responses graciously provided by 
Tim Dewey-Mattia, 
Napa Recycling 
& Waste Services.

Spotlight - Stars
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!
SEEKING EARTH-FRIENDLY GARDENS  
SPONSOR: Napa County 
Resource Conservation District,  City of Napa,
Town of Yountville and UC Master Gardeners.    
Calling all gardeners! Do you have a habitat-friendly, water-wise garden? If so, RCD wants to feature your garden on the Bay-friendly Garden Tour on Sunday, May 31, 2020. The tour will feature gardens in the Napa and Yountville areas. Now is your chance to submit beautiful, earth-friendly gardens for consideration to be on the tour and, share this announcement with friends. 

The annual garden tour is a great way to share natural gardening techniques to 300+ curious community members looking for fresh and creative tips for sustainable gardening. Home-grown and professionally-designed landscapes are equally welcome on the tour. Professional landscapers should note that the tour is an excellent way to reach potential customers looking for a garden make-over. 
DAY/DATE/TIME:   Submit your garden before April 1st. 
LOCATION:   Napa and Yountville     
FFI:  Email, call 707.690.3117, or visit their website
More information about the tour and the application for host gardeners here.
       WE CAN REVERSE GLOBAL WARMING        
SPONSOR: Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 
Napa Climate NOW!, League of Women Voters of Napa County & Pachamama Alliance  
A free workshop introducing Project Drawdown, the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming! We all want to leave a sustainable planet for our children, grandchildren and all future generations. Join us to find out more about what you and your community can do. A qualified and diverse group of researchers from around the world identified, researched and modeled the most substantive, already existing solutions to address climate damage. They discovered a path to roll back global warming within 30 years. Humanity has the means at hand. Nothing new needs to be invented. Our work is to accelerate the knowledge and growth of what is possible. Learn more about Project Drawdown and meet others in our community who are already actively working toward making a difference.  
DAY/DATE/TIME:  Sunday, April 26, 1AM-3PM
LOCATION:  1625 Salvador Ave, Napa   
FFI:  Email, call 707.337.5741, or visit their website.
EARTH DAY NAPA       
SPONSOR: Environmental Education  
Coalition of Napa County (EECNC)  
Celebrate Earth Day the Napa way! Live music and local performance artists entertain on the main stage, Exhibitor booths, activities and games engage and educate people both young and old. Earth Day Napa is FREE. Local food and beverages will be available for purchase. Beer and wine is only $5 and 100% of proceeds go to fund environmental field trips and scholarships for Napa County youth. Free bike valet and water refilling station. 
DAY/DATE/TIME:  Sunday, April 26, 1AM-4PM
LOCATION:  Oxbow Commons 
FFI:  Email, call 707.974.7498, or visit their website.

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 .
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:  S unday, 6PM for the following Tuesday's blast.   

 

 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.