Dear Cecelia, Drew, Betsy, Catherine and Ray - first - thank you for your leadership, guidance and keeping our city staff and workers safe during the unexpected COVID-19 shutdown and becoming on online government overnight. I especially appreciate the letter to Menlo Park - Cecelia: https://menlopark.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=486 . I am a working single mom in Menlo Park and have held executive roles in the medical device industry for many years and I have worked in infectious diseases as well years during the AIDS epidemic attending worldwide medical conferences and travel medicine conferences - where pandemics were postulated or facts/solutions presented (from 3rd world countries). I work for an infectious disease company now. While the pandemic is frightening and devastating - what follows can be worse. Winter is coming. We will have residents who are now or will be soon food insecure. Low Cost, High Return Ideas: We have some of the best, most fertile land in the world under our feet. We have Master Gardeners in Palo Alto with (sometimes) free compost and we might have folks within Menlo Park with time on their hands wanting to help their neighbors. We have Facebook with potential gardens on their rooftops who may also be willing to help sponsor these efforts (and get the positive PR) as they are working next door to some of our most challenged friends and neighbors. 1) Find spare plots of land (that we could make accessible with six feet of separation for entry/exit) to turn into fruit and vegetable gardens. The time to plant is this month for summer crops and a bit later for Fall/Winter. City to find unused land, and supply funds for wood, seeds or young seedlings, compost (or secure free compost) and drip irrigation supplies, and netting to neighborhood leadership (could ask the religious community to lead the hands on/organizational effort - including outreach to the neighborhoods to support). Religious leaders could find a few carpenters to create planter boxes (drip irrigation a huge plus) Note: berries planted in sunny spots are self-sustaining after a few years if protected from bird/raccoons. 2) Consider encouraging neighborhoods to establish a local food donation table for any extra fruit/veggies (even eggs if we could find a shaddy spot) where we could place a table in a set location (with a bin for cardboard boxes or paper grocery bags) so folks could "shop" for those extras*. This would just require a table, bin, bags and a sign and a bit of PR - plus a biweekly clean up/disinfect schedule. Many residents have established fruit trees and gardens and have extra's from time to time (or like me - need help picking one tree from time to time. We HAVE food. We need to make it easy and safe for neighbors with fresh food to support neighbors who need it. 3) This might be a stretch - but it would be worth considering if City leadership could model or encourage those residents who can afford to do so - to consider paying their Nanny's, Gardeners, Housekeepers - whomever else normally supports them during this challenging social distancing time - with NO expectation of return of funds or labor. This would be free but would require Council consent/agreement/approval. These might be small efforts to explore - big return - for community building and support for the leaner months ahead. Giving tools to the local leaders to support *I am aware and financially support the Second Harvest Food Bank - but they do not pick up small quantities of fruit. Even the volunteer "pickers" need a decent crop to come out and harvest. However, every other home or two has a bag of extra fruit or vegetables from time to time that they don't have time to give away. That's the fruit/veggies - the small quantities - that if we plan a little - we can make it easy to organize/donate and share with those who are in need - who live silently right next door to all of us. Thank you for listening. You may already have these projects underway. I thank you All for your dedication and leadership and for making Menlo Park such a wonderful place to live and raise children. Thank you and best, Michelle Roeding Received on Wed Apr 15 2020 - 03:27:57 PDT
