Hillcrest Farmers Market reopens Sunday

Classified by the State of California as an essential food service, the Hillcrest Farmers Market will be open utilizing new social distancing and safety protocols on Sunday, April 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The weekly Sunday market has been closed since March 15 out of an abundance of caution during the COVID-19 crisis.

As the full Hillcrest Farmers Market is one of the largest and most popular farmers markets in town, many Hillcrest residents and others rely on the market for essential fresh fruit and vegetables. Since the market has been classified by Governor Gavin Newsom as an essential food service, the Hillcrest Business Association (HBA) will reopen the market for fresh groceries and pre-packaged food only.

Staff and volunteers at the market will work to ensure that all customers and vendors are safe at the reopened market so there will be some important safety changes in place for the duration of the current public health emergency. These changes include opening the market specifically for elderly customers between 9 am and 10 am, a maximum capacity of 100 customers, offering fresh produce and pre-packaged food only, and social distancing measures.

Customers are also encouraged to go on-line and pre-order their produce items ahead of time. Visit hillcrestfarmersmarket.com to find links to favorite Hillcrest Farmers Market vendors.

The Hillcrest Farmers Market is located on Normal Street between University Avenue and Lincoln Avenue (under the Hillcrest Pride Flag). Free parking will be available for farmers market customers in the Hillcrest DMV parking lot on the west side. After parking, please queue and enter the venue on the south side of the DMV building.

San Diego Museum of Art hosts virtual art alive event

For the first time in the event’s 39-year history, Art Alive will be completely hosted online. Follow the San Diego Museum of Art’s social channels every day at 3 p.m. for content featuring floral interpretations over the years, Art Alive fun facts, cocktail recipes and more. Museum visitors will also have the opportunity to submit their own photos and memories of Art Alive for a chance to be featured!

Virtual Art Alive Weekend (April 24th – April 26th, 2020) will feature a dance party, new online exhibition and Garden of Activities, including:

• Dress up, make your favorite cocktail and join the live Bloom Bash party with a music set by DJ Gabe Vega on Friday, April 24th at 7 p.m. PST via Instagram Live.
• Keeping with the tradition of featuring exquisite interpretations of famous works of art, #VirtualArtAlive will feature an online exhibition of works interpreted by designers using items from home.
• End the weekend with a step-by-step tutorial for making crepe paper flowers at home on Sunday, April 26th.

Art Alive is the Museum’s annual fundraiser in support of education, outreach programs and special exhibitions. All events during Art Alive weekend, including Bloom Bash, are available to the public for free, but suggested donations will be accepted for those who wish to donate. Follow #VirtualArtAlive on the Museum’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Feria del condado de San Diego pospuesta para 2021

Based on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press conference on April 14, mass gatherings are not likely to be allowed for the foreseeable future. Therefore, it is the decision to postpone the San Diego County Fair to 2021. The postponement of the Fair was announced at the monthly 22nd District Agricultural Association board of directors meeting at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on April 14.

“The health and safety of our community take precedence during this unprecedented time of crisis,” said Tim Fennell, CEO/general manager of the Del Mar Fairgrounds. “The San Diego County Fair is a beloved family tradition for more than 1.5 million San Diegans each year, as well as a source of livelihood for numerous individuals and businesses. Yet with the continued impacts of COVID-19, postponing this year’s fair is the right thing to do.”

This fair’s theme couldn’t be more relevant: Heroes, Unite!

“Now, more than ever, we’re acutely aware that some of our very greatest heroes walk among us. We are so thankful to the healthcare workers and first responders who are keeping our communities safe, the teachers who keep our children learning and the countless community heroes who are going to extraordinary efforts to help others during this great time of need,” Fennell said. “That’s why we’ll be proud to carry this theme through to next year’s fair – honoring the heroes who continue to emerge throughout our community.”

Tomar la decisión de posponer la feria de este año no fue tarea fácil. Sin embargo, como el evento anual más grande en el condado de San Diego y una de las cinco ferias más importantes de América del Norte, están siguiendo las recomendaciones de los funcionarios de salud pública de posponer las reuniones masivas hasta que sea seguro organizarlas nuevamente.

For now, the fairgrounds are currently on standby to be utilized for Emergency Operations Services at any time. “We’ve partnered with the San Diego Food Bank to serve as a food distribution site, have donated several hundred N95 masks to health care providers and will continue looking for ways to serve the community,” Fennell said.

Mama’s Kitchen hits sixth consecutive week of record meal deliveries

Mama’s Kitchen, a local nonprofit meal delivery service dedicated to women, men and children vulnerable to hunger due to HIV, cancer, and other critical illnesses, including congestive heart failure and Type 2 diabetes, is working around the clock to maintain operations during the “shelter-in-place” mandate.

For the past six weeks, each delivery day has been a record delivery day. On Friday, April 10, Mama’s Kitchen delivered 7,284 meals to 607 clients. This is already a 40% increase from just a few weeks ago before the mandate was issued.

Mama’s Kitchen projects its clientele and meals served will continue to increase over the next two months due to the crisis.

As the pandemic progresses in our region, the organization has seen an increase in demand for its services to provide home-delivered nutrition to critically ill individuals and families who are most at risk to the devastating complications from COVID-19 given their compromised immune systems and chronic illnesses.

During these challenging times when everyone is encouraged to telecommute or stay home to avoid the virus, Mama’s Kitchen provides an opportunity to help those in need.

Mama’s Kitchen is still accepting referrals for new clients, and does not have a waiting list. As always, the organization’s goal is to never turn away a qualified individual.

The nonprofit is still accepting backup volunteer applications. Those interested in supporting Mama’s Kitchen’s efforts can visit mamaskitchen.org/volunteer to learn more.

Mama’s Kitchen has also established an Emergency Response Fund to support increased expenses due to the response efforts. With the distribution of stimulus checks coming down the pipeline, the organization invites the community to give back to nonprofit organizations in need so they can continue supporting our local community members in need.

Bibliotecas de San Diego fabrican equipo de protección para trabajadores de la salud

Continuing efforts to make City resources available in the fight against COVID-19, Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer today announced the San Diego Public Library is producing hundreds of protective face shields for local hospital workers to flatten the curve.

Faulconer was joined on April 9 by Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health; Jane Finley, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente; and Patrick Stewart, CEO of the San Diego Public Library Foundation.

“We’re going to use every tool we have to protect our hospital staff and first responders in the fight against COVID-19 and that requires thinking outside the box,” said Faulconer. “These machines, once used for class projects and entrepreneurs, are now exclusively used to produce face shields and save lives in our local hospitals. This is a great partnership between so many San Diegans to provide innovative solutions to combat this deadly disease.”