give back

A sign saying: 'The barking lot is occupied'

Take Care of an Animal

Silvia

Millie is a 2 year old husky mix available at the Yolo animal shelterThe last three weeks we were a medical foster family for Millie, a 2 year old husky mix. She’s been in the animal shelter since October of last year. Her dermoid, a condition that grew skin over her eyes, was removed a few weeks ago and paid for by the generous Friends of Yolo County Animal Services (YCAS). Now she is a beautiful, active doggy. I hope someone with a big yard and a furry sibling will adopt her soon. 

A door with a dog image and canine coveI usually write more on sights to see, but I really wanted to introduce people to the idea of helping pets. After all, this is also a great way to spend your free time. And you will discover interesting parts of your neighborhood. You don’t need to adopt them (right away); there are lots of ways you can contribute. Shelters are overflowing right now with pets that became inconvenient after their people had to return to work, or it might be too expensive with a high inflation rate. Whatever the reasons, the shelters provide valuable care. 

Here are some ways you can help: Picture taken at the Santa Clara Animal Shelter of a small dog in a doggy bed

  1. Volunteer at the local shelter
    I started a few months ago volunteering at the local animal shelter. It is a great way to spend time with dogs. You get to walk them, play with them, and connect with a new buddy.
  2. Foster an animal
    This is a short term commitment to give a pet a chance to be in a home and get more personal attention. [There is no shame in foster fails! Meaning if you decide to keep the animal after a short while this should be great news for everyone.]
  3. Donate to your local shelter
    You can make a monetary contribution, always welcome, and look for lists on the shelter’s website of things they might need, like towels, blankets or toys.
  4. Spread the word
    Use your social media presence to help get the word out and hopefully someone in your circle will see a pet they are interested in. 

Another picture of Millie the 2 year old husky mixYes, there are pitfalls to this, too. I am writing this after I returned Millie to the shelter yesterday. I know she is in good hands there, with a caring staff and volunteers. But even in these short three weeks we miss having her around. Yet we also know what Millie needs is a permanent solution. You can’t possibly help every pet. But the love you give will be returned; it means a lot to them to have human contact.

Do you volunteer? What areas do you like to give you time for?

Search out a Little Free Art Gallery, San Jose

Search out a Little Free Art Gallery, San Jose

Silvia

Little free libraries are present in a lot of neighborhoods and worth seeking out. Not only do they offer free reading materials, but some extended their selection during the pandemic with canned foods or seeds. I also admire the creativity people invest in making these small cabinets.

Hart Little Free GalleryThe little free art galleries are an extension of this genre. The principle is the same as the little free libraries, come to see some art, grab something that catches your eye, or contribute to the fun. As far as I know San Jose now has two of these neighborhood gems. One of the galleries is stocked by Jennifer Hart, a local artist, who enjoyed the challenge of creating small art. The gallery is located on Booksin Avenue in Willow Glen. You can also see the current inventory at her Instagram account “Hart Little Free Gallery”.  Drawings of a woman. One is titled: you are perfect

SJFLAG little free art galleryThe second gallery is nearby, in the Reed Elementary School area. SJFLAG is also on Instagram, but it asks that if you want to know the exact address you should PM them. I did not realize this on my quest, so it took me a little while to find the SFMOMA inspired box. 

 

Smooth Ray of Trumansburg, NY created a directory for free little art galleries. A snail at SJFALG

Have you been to a little free art gallery?

 

Resources:

https://sjctoday.6amcity.com/free-little-galleries-san-jose-ca/

Sign at the entrance of Valley Verde, San Jose.

Buy Seedlings from Valley Verde, San Jose

Silvia
Herbs at Valley Verde. The sign reads: When you purchase these seedlings you are actively supporting Valley Verde's work to foster Food Sovereignty in our local communities!

It’s spring time. Perfect time to plant some vegetables. Valley Verde in San Jose not only sells multi-ethnic, hard to find seedlings, like bitter melons and okra, they also offer food justice programs for the community. The Food Justice Movement improves access to healthy, nutritious food in food insecure areas and recognizes the structural barriers communities of color face reaching food sovereignty.   

I remember when the pandemic started I saw some news report that Valley Verde had to cancel their annual seedling fair. Instead they gave away seedlings to underserved members of the community, encouraging them to grow their own healthy food. They managed to deliver seedlings to 400 families. To make this generous idea even more sustainable they partnered with the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition to deliver the seedlings by bike.

Tomato seedlings at Valley Verde. Sign lists available tomato varieties.

If you don’t have your own garden (yet) but feel like you should contribute you can of course donate time or money and spread the word. In fact their event calendar makes it real easy for people to sign up to volunteer.

Now in a location that allows them to sell every day you can find Valley Verde’s seedlings at 59 S Autumn St, San Jose. Valley Verde is open from 9 am – 4 pm.

Are you a supporter of food justice?

Other food programs you might consider volunteering for are Village Harvest or the Forge Garden.

Happy New Year! Goodbye 2020

Recap 2020

Silvia

What a year this was! 

Goodbye 2020.

Never have I been happier to see a year go.

Grab & Go Holds Pick up Physical Distancing Required Enter from Prarking Lot

I’m thankful for all the hard workers that risk their life daily. I hope you will be vaccinated soon! Sad for all who lost loved ones this year, pandemic related or not.

2020 taught me a lot: 

  • gratitude for modern technology that allows me to stay in contact with friends and family 
  • it opened my eyes wider for the privileged life I live
  • I enjoyed discussions about racism and reflected on my own white fragility
  • It made me realize that we are all social ‘animals’ and we need each other. I’m looking forward to gatherings small and large again when this is over!

I also kept busy while being confined to a shelter in place order for most of the year.

I am happy to share with you my YouTube channel.

My lists on where to go exploring keeps getting longer. Wanderlust for local spots will always be my passion.  To document this I started putting this in a book. Yes, this is as much a teaser as it is a motivation for me to finish 😀 

Highlights of 2020

Anyway, in this COVID ridden year there were a few highlights, or at least hope for something better to come. 

Justice for George Floyd. Art by Oree Originol.

After the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor  people took to the streets in mass protests for BLM. Here again is my list on how you can make sure that Black Lives Matter: Support Black Lives.

VTA essential trip?

Do you want to contribute to record the history we are currently living, please check out my post Share your COVID-19 Experiences.

And let’s not forget about people that lost so much this year. While wildfires raged through most of the Bay Area and people lost their houses (Help the Fire Victims), the pandemic was the reason a lot of people lost their jobs and are in need of food relief programs (Feed People in Need).

Exit with error pointing.

Welcome 2021!

I wish you all a great start into the New Year and hope everyone will have a happier life.

Keep on fighting the good fight.

Peace, Justice, and Joy!

Until Suburbia! 

Fork on an empty plate

Feed People in Need

Silvia

I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! The number of people relying on food help every day has doubled since the pandemic began. In Silicon Valley 1 of 10 people receive assistance from Second Harvest, one of the largest food banks in the nation. Second Harvest feeds nearly 500,000 people each month.

Feeding America found that due to the coronavirus 50 million Americans may face food insecurity in 2020, including 17 million children. 

How you can help:

Donate to your local food bank

Monetary donations are always welcome. 

Due to COVID-19 there might be restrictions for food donations, please check with your local food bank. Our CSA, for example, doesn’t allow for self harvested fruits anymore, but might allow for Village Harvest to harvest for you. Rules change quickly these days. In our neighborhood people started to sell their fruit and donate the proceeds to CSA.

People sorting apples for Village Harvest.

Volunteer

If you can help out in person I am certain your help will be highly appreciated. Make sure to check requirements, for example volunteers over 65 or people in a risk group might not be allowed to perform certain tasks. Nonetheless there might also be virtual options to help out. To find opportunities check out VolunteerMatch, Idealist, AllForGood, or HandsOnBayArea.

Fundraise

The holidays are coming, do you want to gift something special this year? Consider setting up your own fundraiser: https://www.feedingamerica.org/ways-to-give/fundraise-for-feeding-america

Do you have ideas on how to feed people in need?

You might also be interested in my post about Village Harvest: Harvest some Community Fruit.

Inside the SJMade store.

Gift Something Unique from Local Artists – SJ Made

Silvia

I don’t want to increase your stress level, but the Holidays are almost here. Every year I try to come up with some local gift ideas or stores, for example the Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz.

Window into SJMade store showing off their shopping totes.

A hodgepodge of ideas is the SJ Made pop-up store in downtown San Jose. Due to COVID-19 they offer you a chance to pick-up items that you purchased from their website. The sheer vastness of ideas, over 1200 products and counting, will make sure you’ll find gifts for everyone on your list.

Entrance to SJMade with opening hours.

These artists not only do pictures and postcards. There are flowers, cosmetics, jewelry, clothing and accessories, ceramics, and food gifts. And, apparently stickers and pins are a thing again.

It is great to see local artists get together and open these collective stores. It reminded me of Asheville or Portland. SJ Made is one of four micro-retail storefronts in the Moment mall. Next door are also The Source Zero, Aulala Design and BlackSheepMade to check out while you are on your shopping spree.

Moment mural in the parking garage for SJMade.

SJ Made
60 N. San Pedro St., San Jose

Monday, Wednesday, Sunday 12 to 4
Thursday 12 to 6
Friday, Saturday 10 to 6
Tuesday CLOSED

Do you give local gifts?

Little Free Library

Pick out a Book from a Free Library

Silvia

Walking around the neighborhood, as we all do, you might have noticed a box offering books. Little Free Libraries are not a new invention. All started in 2009 by the late Todd Bol from Hudson, Wisconsin. He built the first Little Free Library as a tribute to his mother. Friends and neighbors liked the idea and inspired him to build more and he gave them away. The idea took over and in 2020 they surpassed the 100,000 mark with more than a 100 countries worldwide participating.

You can find a Free Little Library near you from the Free Little Library website map, but not all free libraries are registered. 

Little Free Library

If you feel inspired to build your own free library the Little Free Library offers library boxes and also advice for building your own.

You do not need to leave a book in order to take one. I know a lot of people have decluttered their homes recently, but there was also higher demand on these books while your favorite book store was only online. 

Little Free Library with succulents on top.

Considering the pandemic some free libraries now switched the books to offer canned food. Others made a seed library, so we can all start to grow our own vegetables.

Free libraries not only are a great way to share goods, some are also very creative little boxes.

Have you picked up a book from a little free library?

Interesting read about a a phone booth at the Los Gatos library: Call me Ishmael

Smoke from the CZU fire.

Help the Fire Victims

Silvia

Wildfires are part of living in California.  This year the wildfires have been especially early and are the worst yet. In awe I looked at the lightning the morning of August 17th that sparked hundreds of fires in Northern California. 

My heart goes out to all the people who lost their home and their belongings. Many people had to leave their homes and evacuate, not sure what they will find when they return.

If you’d like to donate you might consider one of these sources:

Meals of Gratitude and World Central Kitchen– Provide meals to frontline workers in the COVID pandemic, firefighters, evacuees, and volunteers

Santa Cruz Fire Respond Fund – Supports victims of the Santa Cruz Mountain Fires

Emergency Fire Relief Fund for South Coast Families – Puente’s mission is to build a healthy, inclusive and sustainable community. 

Give to your local food bank, e.g.: Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano, Community Action of Napa Valley, or Tri-Valley Haven are a few examples.

Redwood tree.

Sempervirens Fund – Big Basin Recovery Fund and Santa Cruz Redwoods Restoration Fund

I hope everyone is safe and stays healthy!

Resources:

CAL Fire – See the status of the fires

There is a wonderful link list from the Magical Bridge Foundation.

Just as a reminder if you’s like to support Black Lives in the Bay Area you can get some inspiration here.

Posters from Oree Originol honoring People of Color killed by law enforcement

Support Black Lives

Silvia

“Please, I can’t breath.” It’s been a week of protest and anger. A wave has swept this nation. A powerful series of waves, like water will grind down the land. Now is the time to rise.

Justice for George Floyd an illustrations by Oree Originol

Protests are just the beginning. In order to change the systemic racism we have to be aware of privilege, come together, enable change, listen, and act. 

Here is a list of things that will help to make sure Black Lives Matter.

Action cards

The most creative approach to the question on what to do about racial injustice comes from the Oakland Museum of California with their Take Action cards. Check out their Instagram feed to see the cards (instagram.com/oaklandmuseumca). 

Donate money to the cause

Bail and legal support:

Flyer on how to support #BlackLivesMatter

The Minnesota Freedom Fund (https://mnfreedomfund.org/)

Bay Area Anti-Repression Committee Bail Fund (https://rally.org/ARCbailfund)

San Francisco National Lawyers Guild (NLG) (nlgsf.org/ways-to-contribute/)

NAACP (https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/6857/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=15780&_ga=2.22006142.412847870.1591227461-53649289.1591227461)

ACLU (https://action.aclu.org/give/now)

Non-emergency support:

Black Lives Matter (https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019)

East Oakland Collective (http://www.eastoaklandcollective.com/)

People’s Breakfast Oakland (https://linktr.ee/PBO)

Planting Justice (https://plantingjustice.org/)

Roots Clinic (https://rootsclinic.org/)

Restore Oakland (http://restoreoakland.org/)

Oakland Indie Alliances (http://www.oaklandindiealliance.com/repair)

Anti Police Terror Project (https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/)

Volunteer

Rock the Vote (https://www.rockthevote.org/get-involved/)

A list of actions against racism by the UN: Let’s fight racism (https://www.un.org/en/letsfightracism/)

Vote

President Obama weighted in lately on how important voting is (https://medium.com/@BarackObama/how-to-make-this-moment-the-turning-point-for-real-change-9fa209806067) and to move a step further you can read the report and toolkit from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights developed by the Obama Foundation (https://www.obama.org/wp-content/uploads/Toolkit.pdf)

Black Future Lab (https://blackfutureslab.org/)

Track progress of legislations

Campaign Zero let’s you track the progress state legislations against police violence (https://www.joincampaignzero.org/#action)

Make a call

To contact your representative just got easier, just download the 5calls app (https://5calls.org/)

Sign Petitions

Poster from the 'Black Panthers at 50' exhibit at the OMCA: Unity is the Solution

Color of Change (https://act.colorofchange.org/signup/state-emergency-black-people-are-dying)

NAACP (http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/6857/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=27063)

Join a group

Showing up for Racial Justice (https://www.surjbayarea.org/)

Educate yourself about racism

General reading list on how to be an antiracist, put together by the San Francisco library:

https://sfpl.bibliocommons.com/list/share/433865467_sfpl_readersadvisory/1494408919_be_an_antiracist

Truth be told is a podcast from KQED (https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/truthbetold).

Corrine Shutuck wrote a list of 75 things white people can do for racial justice (https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234)

Great resource list especially for kids from DC Area Educators for Social Justice (https://www.dcareaeducators4socialjustice.org/resources)

Buy from black businesses

BAOBOB is a directory listing for black owned businesses in the Bay Area (https://baobobdirectory.com/)

The Official Black Wall Street app lists black-owned businesses (https://obws.com/)

For black-owned restaurants download the EatOkra app (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eatokra/id1175921760)

Black Nation app (https://www.blacknation.app/)

We Buy Black (https://webuyblack.com/)

Buy art that matters

The Tracy Piper has a vibrant print at the Voss Gallery. Proceeds go to Black Lives Matter (https://vossgallery.art/collections/the-tracy-piper/products/black-lives-matter)

Black Table Arts, a Minnesota based initiative to help community through art (http://www.blacktablearts.com/)

Kyle Harder donates proceeds from his print RISE! to Reclaim The Block (https://kyleharterart.bigcartel.com/product/rise)

How do you support black lives?

Resources:

https://www.7×7.com/black-lives-matter-bay-area-resources-2646147346/get-directly-involved-with-black-lives-matter

https://www.kqed.org/arts/13881199/5-ways-to-show-up-for-racial-justice-today

 

Rows of gifts at the Family Giving Tree warehouse.

Master your Gift Giving

Silvia

If you belong to a church group, your kids are in boy scouts/girl scouts, or some similar groups, you might have your volunteer schedule for the holidays covered.

If you are still looking to give back this season I might have an idea for you.

Holiday Wish Drive cards from Family Giving Tree.

Have any of your coworkers displayed Family Giving Tree wish cards? Please grab one of these cards and give the gift of giving. I know that some large companies in the Bay Area have cards like these in the reception area and you would drop off your purchased gift with them.

You can also lead a drive. This means you will pick up these cards from Family Giving Tree and post specific wish cards in a well-traveled area, or give them out to your coworkers, friends, or family members . Then you would collect the gifts and drop them off at the warehouse. I don’t know why they don’t call it something like elf helper? 

Little girl wrapping a gift at the Family Giving Tree warehouse.

Since 1990 the Family Giving Tree (FGT) has provided more than one million gifts for Bay Area children, low income families and seniors. Their promise is to give an exact gift. If a person only gets one gift in the Holiday season, an exact gift, something he or she really wanted, can make all the difference.

Little boy playing with the gifts while his dad is wrapping gifts at the Family Giving Tree warehouse.


Last year I answered the call of FGT to help out at a warehouse in Santa Clara to wrap gifts. This was a two hour shift in a cold warehouse, but you just joined some people, made new friends, and shared some scissors and wrapping paper and off you went to beautify these gifts.

It was amazing to see all these volunteers; the volume of gifts warmed my heart.

Please consider volunteering this Holiday season.

You could also shop with an intend to give back. Check out my post on the Homeless Garden Project.