LOCATION: PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA • May 15th, 2020
Last month I was excited to share a highlight of things that caught my eye. You can read the April Edition here. I am following up with another post of things that inspired me, made me laugh, and brought me joy. Feel free to add your to the comments!
CAUSES THAT ARE MAKING AN IMPACT
SF New Deal is helping San Francisco restaurants keep their doors open by connecting them to local residents in need of meals. The non-profit purchases daily meals from restaurants at volume and in advance and then distributes the food to street clinics, public housing sites, churches, and homes including Tenderloin Housing Clinic, SF African American Faith-Based Coalition and Chinatown Community Development Center, and more. This week alone, volunteers delivered over 19,105 meals to 60 sites around San Francisco.
I love that my favorite clothing brand, Reformation, has been making masks since the pandemic began. Reformation was the first place we were able to buy masks from and they use the same sustainable fabric they make their clothing from for their masks. They have already made over 250K masks and for their first donations, they worked with LA homeless shelters to distribute masks to high-risk populations and also donated masks to UCLA Health’s medical staff. You can buy a pack of 5 for yourself or donate to those in need.
Parata Systems has launched the Pharmacy Employee Relief Fund to support employees of retail, long-term care, hospital pharmacies impacted by COVID-19. With an initial commitment of $100,000, their aim is to provide assistance to pharmacists, technicians, and pharmacy employees who are facing financial hardship due to illness, quarantine, or closures as a result of COVID-19. Comprehensive Pharmacy Services (CPS) has also made a $100,000 donation to the fund.
Concern Worldwide is responding to COVID-19 emergency across 23 of the most vulnerable countries by distributing PPE, setting up handwashing stations, delivering prevention messages and ensuring children don’t fall into malnutrition while their education initiatives have been suspended during extended lockdown. You can support their COVID response and read more about their activities from their countries of operations here.
Feed the Fight is an organization I highlighted last month for working to save local restaurants who have been affected by shelter-in-place orders while supporting healthcare workers at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC. They have recently announced that they have become an official chapter of Frontline Foods, so I wanted to update you guys too. I grew up eating at these restaurants and received much of pharmacy training at UNC, so this organization is quite dear to my heart!
FOR A GOOD LAUGH & SOME JOY
The original cast of ‘Legally Blonde The Musical’ reunited for a Public Health PSA to sanitize! This musical was a college favorite of mine. My roommates and I even went to NYC during spring break to catch it on Broadway. Excuse me while I go put the album on, D is about to find out that I still know ALL THE WORDS!
Krystal Bick’s isolation self-portraits are so beautiful and inspiring! She puts so much energy and heart into each portrait and I also love seeing her share behind-the-camera looks on her instagram. If I had to pick favorites, it would be here, here, and here. She is one of the people who has inspired me the most to channel my creative energy during the quarantine. Proof that you don’t have to leave your apartment to be creative! #isolationcreation
Dr. Craig Smith, the chair of the department of surgery at Columbia University, has been writing daily correspondence to his colleagues detailing how the health system is handling pandemic response and challenges faced. In one update, he features lines from the T.S. Elliot poem “The Waste Land,” and in another he urges his staff to enroll in a study tracking COVID-19 antibodies in healthcare workers. These letters have become a source of inspiration and poetry as well as information, leading to The Wall Street Journal declaring that Smith was “the pandemic’s most powerful writer.”
Star Wars Day was last week and if you are also a fan of Calvin & Hobbes, then you’ll love Brian Kesinger’s Lil’ Kylo art series! He works for Disney and is one of my favorite artists on Instagram. I love seeing the art people commission from him including this Star Wars/Harry Potter mashup.
Banana pudding fans rejoice! Magnolia Bakery in New York City has released their recipe! I have been making banana pudding for our dear friends’ pig pickin’ for years and I can’t wait to do a side by side comparison!
