Photo of HSB CEO David Selberg
I share this message with you as all of us are reeling from the current COVID-19 roller-coaster ride. We seem to be going backward as case numbers are on the rise, many businesses are closing again, students are not going back to the classroom, and the drum beat of another lock down is growing louder. UNCERTAINTY seems to be the word of 2020 and we Americans, in particular, do not do well with that particular feeling.  The question becomes, what can we do about it? How do we cope? My advice to friends and colleagues, as well as to myself, is to re-frame the context of what we can control. For example, we can control what we choose to do each day with out time. We can control our physical and emotional health and the support we provide to those around us. We can control the amount of negative news and online social media we take in. This really can be an opportunity, as difficult as it may be for us to see. I should also mention our Community Education Team's Coping with COVID-19 Series which provides helpful tips, insights and useful information during this time. 
 
I propose a challenge for all of us. Let's set a goal to do or learn one new thing each week. Maybe it's taking an online yoga or art class. Perhaps it's cleaning out the garage or refurbishing an old piece of furniture or volunteering (safely) for a local food bank or other charitable cause. Putting our mind on a productive task will help ease the monotony we are all feeling and will get out of our heads for a while.
 
Be well,
David Selberg
Grief is Hardest on the Dog
by Christina Gessler
Christina Gessler saw an ad on TV that said Hospice of Santa Barbara offered grief counseling. Christina called HSB the next morning. HSB matched her with a Hospice counselor, and offered her a spot in Perie Longo’s Healing Through Poetry group . Christina wrote the poem below a few weeks after her father died. 
I’m in the flu-like stage of grief
where it takes me too long to get out of my pajamas and talk myself into the shower,
so the dog’s walks are always late.
I fall asleep unexpectedly and early, and I awake the same way—when it’s too dark and too quiet to do any awake things,
so it’s like I’m here but on London time
which is only something a grief-stricken person
or an inept world traveler would understand. 
Thank YOU to our HSB Volunteers and to our Community Partners!
In collaboration with local agencies, such as the Jewish Federation , Old Mission Santa Barbara , The Berryman , the Goleta Community Center , and Organic Soup Kitchen , HSB Volunteers are providing patients and their families meal and grocery deliveries. There are a number of patients and families who are not only impacted by a life-threatening illness, but they are also experiencing food insecurity, particularly those who have lost income and jobs due to the pandemic. Our volunteers deliver multiple crates of produce, meals, and groceries to families’ doorsteps every week!
 Pictured below are HSB Volunteers, Sue and Viki delivering groceries. 
Mi Vida, Mi Voz Community Collaboration Provides Critical Resource Information for Spanish Speaking Community
Due to the current coronavirus pandemic and economic crisis, many people in the Spanish-speaking Latino community are not getting the important information they may need for themselves and their families. In April, Mi Vida, Mi Voz (MVMV), a collaboration of local Latino-serving organizations, pivoted to address this critical need. With the pandemic’s disproportionate health and economic impact in the Latino community, this critical information is more relevant than ever. 


Mi Vida, Mi Voz (My Life, My Voice) has been collecting information about community resources in five basic categories: Health; Basic Needs (food, financial support, housing, legal); Mental Health; Children & Families; and Seniors. The initial emphasis has been on health and basic needs information during COVID-19.


Mi Vida Mi Voz is disseminating this information in Spanish and English by providing direct, easy to use access to a resource website ( mividamivoz.com ) as a community gathering place for this vital information and by sending out a short weekly newsletter with curated content about current or arising issues. Their partners/champions are comprised of trusted leaders with years of work in the Latino community—making them and their networks ideally situated to get the information into the hands of the people who need it most. Together, these champions, their organizations, and their networks serve tens of thousands of Latino families. 
Debido a la actual pandemia del coronavirus y a la crisis económica, muchas personas de la comunidad latina hispanohablante no están recibiendo información importante que podrían necesitar para ellos y sus familias. En abril, Mi Vida, Mi Voz (MVMV), una colaboración de organizaciones locales al servicio de los latinos, se enfocó en brindar atención a esta necesidad crítica. Con el desproporcionado impacto económico y de salud que la pandemia ha tenido en la comunidad latina, esta información es más relevante que nunca. 

Mi Vida, Mi Voz ha estado recopilando información sobre recursos comunitarios en cinco categorías básicas: Salud, necesidades básicas (alimentos, apoyo financiero, vivienda, legal), salud mental, niños y familias y personas mayores. El enfoque inicial ha estado en la información sobre salud y necesidades básicas durante la pandemia COVID-19.

Mi Vida, Mi Voz está difundiendo esta información en español e inglés proporcionando acceso directo y fácil a un sitio web con recursos ( mividamivoz.com ) como portal de reunión comunitaria para esta información vital, así como mediante el envío de un breve boletín semanal con contenido seleccionado sobre problemas actuales o emergentes. Sus socios / campeones son líderes de confianza con años de experiencia en la comunidad latina, lo que los posiciona a ellos y a sus redes en un lugar ideal para hacer llegar la información a las personas que más la necesitan. Juntos, estos socios / campeones, sus organizaciones y sus redes sirven a decenas de miles de familias latinas. 
Resources from our Community Education Team
Finding Meaning During Liminal Times
by Rev. Kristen Rohm
These are interesting times. For many of us, the life we were all living in early March has changed so much we could say it’s gone. What we’re moving toward and when we might get there is unclear. We are caught between what was and what is yet to come. In spiritual work, we know this as liminal time, a threshold of sorts between the old and the new. 

Liminal times bring several things, one is tremendous uncertainty. That’s not fun or easy. It’s made harder because we don’t know how long we’ll be here, so it can feel like we’re stuck in between. 
Lamentando la pérdida de nuestra normalidad Traducido
por Virginia Moreno
Can reading make you feel better? Bibliotherapy is the practice of reading for therapeutic purposes that can work faster than listening to music or drinking a hot cup of tea. There is always something new to learn and understand, another cycle to embrace. Below is a curated list of seven informative books, full of adventure and discovery, that are psychologically relevant to the strange times we are living in.  
Bibliotherapy in the time of Quarantine
by Lee Weiser, PhD
The Historical and Contemporary Shadow of our Collective Grief: Witnessing, Listening and Soul
August 2, 2020 & September 17, 2020
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
A two (2) event series with Dr. Fanny Brewster and Joanna Walling, sponsored by Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association (PGIAA)

PGIAA welcomes you to join in a grief support group to bear witness to our collective grief during this time of great change for our country.

The goal for this grief support group is to create a ritual safe space to acknowledge these wounds and grieve for what resides in our collective cultural shadow. This group is open to all people, whether or not you have experienced oppression directly. The cultural shadow resides within us all, and therefore the witnessing of the resulting grief seeks communal containment by all.

PGIAA is requesting a $30 tax-deductible donation for this event (to benefit scholarships for Pacifica students).
Masks - How to wear, make and clean face coverings
How to Wear Cloth Face Coverings
• Wash your hands before putting on your face covering
• Put it over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin
• Try to fit it snugly against the sides of your face
• Make sure you can breathe easily
How to Wash Face Coverings
WASHING MACHINE
• You can include your face covering with your regular laundry • Use regular laundry detergent and the warmest appropriate water setting for the cloth used to make the face covering
During this uncertain time, you may feel pulled to get your financial affairs in order. HSB can help.
Now might feel like a good time to sort out your will or estate plan. An estate plan is helpful for everyone, but it can be confusing to know how to begin. Hospice of Santa Barbara's own Judy Goodbody can help you get started.

Judy is a registered Tax Preparer who has been helping people with tax and estate planning for 25 years. This free service is available to all HSB volunteers, clients, donors, staff, or anyone in the community who needs help.

In observance of physical distancing practices, Judy will be available over the phone or through the secure video chat service Zoom. Contact Judy Goodbody for your free and confidential assistance at (805) 770-7119 or jgoodbody@hospiceofsb.org .
Judy Goodbody, CFRE, CRTP
Planned Giving Officer
Thank you for all that you do to support our work!

It is a remarkable privilege to witness the difference we make for those we serve on a daily basis. It is only through your generosity that we can accomplish all that we do and will in the future.
Phone: (805) 563-8820
Fax: (805) 563-8821