ALAMEDA
What was supposed to be a temporary relocation of the Alameda Food Bank’s (AFB) operations to its warehouse on Alameda Point is looking like a much longer-term arrangement.
“We’re here until the spread of the virus abates long enough for jobs lost by Island residents to start coming back,” says AFB Executive Director Cindy Houts. “That’s beginning to look like it will take longer than we anticipated.”
When the shelter-in-place order was first issued in mid-March, AFB quickly moved its distribution center from its trailer near Atlantic Avenue and Constitution Way to the larger warehouse at 650 W. Ranger Ave. The move was necessary to create a drive-through system that reduced contact between clients and created a safer environment for staff and volunteers, Houts said. With help from the city of Alameda and many new volunteers, the move went smoothly, she said, and AFB is providing food on a drive-through basis to about 10 times as many clients per day as it was a year ago — from 800 in July 2019 to almost 8,000 in July 2020.
Now that they know that they will be working from the warehouse for a while, AFB is planning additional changes to make the facility more efficient and comfortable. The biggest is turning a former storage area into a covered space where volunteers can load food into clients’ car trunks during inclement weather. AFB’s two largest annual food drives have been canceled this year and individual donations of food by community members cannot be allowed due to the pandemic.
“We desperately need monetary donations to make up the difference,” Houts said, noting that every dollar donated enables AFB to buy $7 worth of food. She also said she’s pleased with the way the agency has adjusted to the “new normal” but has one regret.
“We all miss the personal relationships we had with our clients prior to the COVID-19 crisis. … Now, in order to maintain social distancing, we must wear masks and prepare bags of fresh and packaged food in advance so we can drop them in the trunks of our clients’ cars. We look forward to the time when they can see our smiling faces again.”
— AFB
Fire Department provides mutual aid across state’s north
As of Aug. 24, the Alameda Fire Department had 10 firefighters deployed to assist with wildfires across Northern California. All Alameda fire stations remain open and fully staffed. Alameda’s OES Engine and four firefighters were working the River Fire in Monterey County, protecting homes that were threatened and on fire. Alameda’s Water Tender 2 was assigned with two firefighters to the LNU Lightning Complex Fire, and Alameda’s Engine Company 3 was assigned with four firefighters to the SCU Lightning Complex Fire.
— city of Alameda
Hornet to host virtual book event Sept. 16 with author Toll
Join the USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum via Facebook Live at 6 p.m. Sept. 16 as we host author Ian Toll, who will discuss his newest book, “Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945.” This is the third book in Toll’s Pacific War series and features many of the battles in which the USS Hornet CV-12 was involved during the latter part of World War II. Toll is an independent scholar and the author of three other highly regarded works of U.S. military history: “Six Frigates,” “Pacific Crucible” and “The Conquering Tide,” the last two of which are also part of his nonfiction Pacific War trilogy.
— USS Hornet
Corks, Forks festival to be virtual, postponed till October
Due to the global outbreak of COVID-19 and the uncertainty of live events safely returning in the near future, the live Corks, Forks, Rhythm & Brews festival this year to benefit The Alameda Boys & Girls Club will be postponed until October. The health and wellness of our attendees is of the utmost importance to us, and we want to ensure that before we gather and bring together a large group of people that it is approved and safe to do so.
So The Corks, Forks, Rhythm & Brews festival will go virtual this year, and the Alameda Boys & Girls Club needs your support now more than ever as we host a fun, virtual event in support of our youth and teen members in which we’ll enjoy good wine, beer, food and entertainment from the comfort and safety of our homes. There will be an online auction hosted by OneCause from Sept. 28 through Oct. 5, and more information for how to register for it will be sent out soon.
The virtual festival will be held Oct. 3 from 5 to 6 p.m. For questions or more information about event details, sponsorship opportunities or how to donate an item, email [email protected] or call 510-522-4900, ext. 102.
— Alameda Boys & Girls Club
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