'Oye Como Va' and a Smile Goes a Long Way
Beny Morales hands out hot meals in front of Sonia Sotomayor Arts and Sciences Magnet, near Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. She says cranking up the tunes and smiling through her face mask at people is her way of channeling positive energy to the families in need driving up to the school.
In Isolated Trinity County, This Man is a Food Lifeline
Trinity County is one of the state's most food insecure places. Even in the best of times, many people don't know where their next meal is coming from. Lisa Morehouse brings us the story of Jeffry England, director of the local food bank, who's driving hundreds of miles to drop off groceries to residents in remote towns. With unemployment rates spiking, demand on the food bank has nearly tripled.
On Catalina Island, No Tourism Means 90% Unemployment - and a Busy Food Pantry
Ferries to Catalina are only running for essential travel, and the tourist industry is completely shuttered. Many of the workers in the island's hotels and restaurants are Mexican immigrants and their children. The California Report's Ariella Markowitz is from Catalina, and she brings us a story about Dany Silva Rios, a high school senior volunteering in the town's food pantry while his family is out of work.
Jewish Deli Transforms into Community Kitchen to Feed Sacramento's Vulnerable
Solomon's Deli in Sacramento had only been open 9 months before shelter-in-place orders changed their business overnight. KQED's Bianca Taylor tells us how the operation has pivoted to become a community kitchen serving meals to the elderly, medically vulnerable, and unsheltered.
Filipinos Feed the Frontlines
At least 20 percent of nurses in California are Filipino. At the same time, small, family-owned Filipino restaurants are in dire financial straits. We'll hear about an effort to harness those kitchens to feed frontline health care workers in the Bay Area, supported entirely by donations from the Filipino community. Sasha Khokha talks to Desi Danganan, a driving force behind the effort. He tells us about the Filipino tradition of 'kapwa' - a deep, interconnected sense of empathy - and how many Filipinos are used to banding together when disasters hit.
Listeners Share What's Bringing Them Joy
We've been asking listeners to call and leave a voicemail about what's bringing them a moment of joy in these tough times. We hear from people across the state, including a couple who dress up as Big Bird and Cookie Monster to wave at passing cars, an animal lover who feeds stray cats and dogs abandoned in beach parking lots, a woman who’s using this time to meditate and pray, an art teacher who spends his days hammering metal in his blacksmith shop, and a pair of sisters hosting zoom sing-a-long parties.