hey students! want to learn curling?

I can attest that curling is a lot of fun. Read about my experience learning to curl a couple of weeks ago.

Ever wanted to try curling? Yep, that crazy Olympic sport in which players throw granite rocks across ice, sweep like crazy, and yell "HARD!" at each other! All ages and physical abilities can play. The Bay Area Curling Club gives you all the equipment and personal certified instruction you need to play a game. In the lead-up to an all new student lesson series, they'll be holding Learn-to-Curl clinics especially for students, families, teachers and educators—details and registration below.

Times: Saturdays, 2:30-5:00pm
Cost: Oakland Ice Center, 1/2 block from 19th St. BART station
Registration required:

4/7 - Students & Families Learn-to-Curl: Parents, students, and families are encouraged to play either with or against each other! All ages welcome, though it helps if you weigh more than the 42lb. curling stone.

4/14 - Teachers & Educators Learn-to-Curl: All educators are invited to bring families and friends to a clinic especially geared toward sharing the potential of curling in your classrooms. Our curlers are physicists, engineers, teachers and other educators who are even willing to visit your classroom with an Olympic medalist and hands-on instruction.

4/21 - Students-only! Learn-to-Curl: Want something unique for your job or college application? This clinic is just for students, no grown-ups allowed!

4/28 - Lesson Series Begins: The six-week lesson series includes instruction, full games, meeting an Olympic medalist, and rink-side tutorial at our annual tournament. The upcoming lesson series is intended for ages 12-22ish*, and begins Saturday, April 28 3-5pm. Registration required

*Adult waitlist: Though the upcoming lesson series is intended for ages 12-22ish, with enough instructors and space, we hope to accommodate adults as well. To join, email lessons-oakland@bayareacurling.com

upcoming Oakland events

Every week in the rainy season I think I won't have enough interesting events for listing, and every week I end up with more than I have time to process. Get out there and enjoy Oakland and help make it better!

Dinner and Bikes - Wednesday, March 28, 7:30-9pm. Join East Bay Bike Coalition for an evening of dinner and bicycle inspiration at Arbor Cafe in Temescal. ($5-$10) SOLD OUT - limited tickets for people who join EBBC at the door

Beyond Emancipation fundraiser Wednesday, March 28, 5-9pm Dine out and help foster youth succeed and thrive. Italian Colors will generously donate a percentage of your dinner bill to support Beyond Emancipation's programs for current and former foster youth in Alameda County.

Tribune Forum on Education - Thursday, March 29, 3:30-5:15pm. A public forum on the recent Oakland Unified School District changes, including new 11-month positions and requiring more teachers to apply to stay at their current position. Katy Murphy of The Education Report will be moderating; panelists include superintendent Tony Smith; OEA president Betty Olson-Jones; several Oakland teachers and at least one student. (free)

Cesar Chavez Youth Day Garden Festival - Sunday, April 1, 11am-3pm. Celebrate the legacy of Cesar Chavez, the farm worker struggle, and youth empowerment, with food, art, music, and more. Festival put on by Phat Beets Produce and sponsored by People's Grocery, Planting Justice and Children's Hospital. (free)

looking further ahead:

Author Anne Lamott Appearing in Montclair - Wednesday, April 4, 7pm. Anne Lamott and her son Sam (featured in Operating Instructions) discuss their new book, Some Assemby Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son. (free; more info)

Book Sale by FOPL - Thursday, April 5 – Sunday, April 8. Books 50% off for members on Thursday (you can join that morning), and 30%-50% off Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (website)

Oakland Veg Week - April 15-21. Thought about eating vegetarian? Oakland Veg Week will have a variety of events to introduce people to the idea. (website)

4th Annual 24 Hour Film Challenge - April 21-22. The East Bay Express' annual 24 hour film challenge. Teams pick up the topic, then have 24 hours to shoot, edit and produce the film. Sponsored by Actual Cafe, Trumer Pils, and the Oakland Underground Film Festival.

10 Connect :: group art show - April 13-May 25. Exhibition of the remarkable work of ten artists who helped pave the way for a distinctive, flourishing arts community in Jingletown. Opening reception April 13. (free)

Herbal First Aid - Sunday, April 22, 1-3pm. Learn bike-portable first aid remedies for common biking-related ailments. Two hour workshop at Homespun Bikes ($20-$30)

California Preservation Conference - May 3-6. The California Preservation Foundation's annual conference is being held in Oakland this year. There are ton of related tours and events of interest to historians and Oaklanders alike.

plus the usual events:
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

Mountain View Cemetery: Flowers

tulips and mausoleum

Oakland flower lovers take note: this weekend is the annual tulip exhibition at Mountain View Cemetery. There are thousands of tulips blooming right now around the grounds of the cemetery. Unfortunately the unusually warm weather followed by storms made them peak earlier than normal, but they're still gorgeous and should be OK through the weekend.

In addition to the tulips around the always-beautiful grounds, there will be a special exhibition in the Tower Chapel between 10am and 4pm, Friday through Sunday. At 1pm each day there will be a special demo.

Even if you aren't interested in the expo, I recommend checking out the grounds while the tulips are in bloom. There are other flowers and trees blooming around the cemetery, too, making it even more beautiful.

And for the taphophiles in the crowd, there are lots of stone 'flowers' around the cemetery, too. While sometimes flowers were selected as decorations simply because people liked them, on older graves they frequently have symbolic meanings, too:

• tulip - love and passion
• rose - love, beauty, grace
• lotus - creation and rebirth; particularly on Egyptian-themed graves
• Easter lily - purity, innocence
• lily of the valley - renewal, resurrection
• evening primrose - eternal love, memory, hope
• morning glory - departure, farewell, resurrection
• thistle - Scotland, Scottish
• daisy - innocence, hope; frequently found on children's graves
• bellflower - gratitude

Sara Plummer Lemmon

For the history buffs it should all be interesting, but of particular note is the grave of Sara Lemmon. She shares a marker with her husband, John Lemmon, which reads:

partners in botany
the California poppy was named the state flower in 1903 due to the persistent efforts of Sara Lemmon

Unsurprisingly, her marker features a California poppy.

lots more pictures of flowers in Mountain View:


See more Taphophile Tragics posts from the world, and at Oakland Daily Photo here in Oakland for an interesting marker.

upcoming Oakland events

The big event coming up is the Oakland Running Festival on Sunday. Even if you're not running or volunteering, street closures (PDF) may affect you, whether walking, driving or taking public transit (AC Transit changes). If you do watch part of the race, cheer the runners on! Runners from past years say they love the encouragement. People are coming from all over the world to run in the races, so this is a chance for Oakland to shine.

Friends of Sausal Creek: Peregrine Falcons - Wednesday, March 21 7-9pm.
Come learn about peregrine falcon recovery efforts from conservation biologist Glenn R. Stewart, director of the UC Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group. All are welcome. He will be accompanied by a live peregrine falcon. No RSVP required. At the Dimond library. (free)

Bikeshare - Thursday, March 22, 7pm. Join cyclists sharing ideas, skills and stories of inspiration to send you on your next adventure. (free)

Tulip Exhibition - Friday, March 23 to Sunday, March 25. It's time for the annual tulip exhibition at Mt. View Cemetery. The already beautiful grounds come alive with color for spring. You can check out the tulips any time, but Friday through Sunday there will be special exhibitions in the Tower Chapel. (free)

Oakland Running Festival - Sunday, March 25. Whether you're running the 5K or the full marathon, or (like me) just volunteering, the Oakland Running Festival is a fun blast of Oakland love. The marathon and relay go all over Oakland, so check it out. (website)

looking further ahead:
Dinner and Bikes - Wednesday, March 28, 7:30-9pm. Join East Bay Bike Coalition for an evening of dinner and bicycle inspiration at Arbor Cafe in Temescal. ($5-$10)

Beyond Emancipation fundraiser Wednesday, March 28, 5-9pm Dine out and help foster youth succeed and thrive. Italian Colors will generously donate a percentage of your dinner bill to support Beyond Emancipation's programs for current and former foster youth in Alameda County.

Tribune Forum on Education - Thursday, March 29, 3:30-5:15pm. A public forum on the recent Oakland Unified School District changes, including new 11-month positions and requiring more teachers to apply to stay at their current position. Katy Murphy of The Education Report will be moderating; panelists include superintendent Tony Smith; OEA president Betty Olson-Jones; several Oakland teachers and at least one student. (free)

Book Sale by FOPL - Thursday, April 5 – Sunday, April 8. Books 50% off for members on Thursday (you can join that morning), and 30%-50% off Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (website)

Oakland Veg Week - April 15-21. Thought about eating vegetarian? Oakland Veg Week will have a variety of events to introduce people to the idea. (website)

plus the usual events:
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

learn to curl...in Oakland

Last week I got an unexpected email. Did I think Our Oakland readers would be interested in learning curling? Was I interested? Did I want to give away a pair of tickets to an "introduction to curling" class? Curling? Uh, OK. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to give away tickets in the short amount of time, but I definitely wanted to check it out myself. While hockey has grown in popularity since the Sharks came to the Bay Area and a number of championship figure skaters call the Bay Area home, I figured there wasn't that much interest in the Bay Area in curling.

It turns out there is a lot of interest, and it's not new—the Bay Area Curling Club has been around for 50 years. They have meet-ups, lessons and a league, using ice rinks in San Jose, Fremont and here in Oakland. Normally the events sell out quickly, but this event was added last-minute so they still had room. There were about 50 people at Saturday's event, but most have well over 100. In addition, there were volunteers from the club to act as instructors and set up the equipment.

Curling dates back to the 1500s in Scotland, and the basics are fairly simple. A regulation rock or stone is about 42 pounds, and made of granite. A match is played on a sheet, a strip of flat, level ice about 150 feet long and 15 feet wide. Circular targets at each end are the "house" and scoring consists of getting one or more of your team's rocks in the house at the far end. Only one team scores per end, with a point for each rock that's closer to the center than any opponent's rocks. One player delivers a rock, the "skip" or captain indicates where to aim the rock and what kind of curl to give it, and the other two players can sweep the ice in front of the stone as it travels to make it go further. Deliveries alternate between the teams, and like in bocce or boules, later rocks can move earlier rocks into or out of scoring position.

The basics may be simple, but it definitely requires some practice to actually put it all together and deliver the rock. You put one foot on the hack (a rubber stopper to push off of) and the other on a slippery shoe (they also make special shoes for curling). One arm holds a broom for balance, and the other grips and rotates the rock as it's released. You move from a hunched position, push off the hack, into an almost kneeling position and slide down the ice. Before reaching the "hog line", you release the rock and give it the desired rotation to give it some curl. And there are strategies and tactics about aiming the rocks, when and how much to sweep, and reading the ice to learn, too.

Besides being surprised at how much interest there is in curling, I was also pleasantly surprised at just how much fun it is. It's one of those activities that's easy to learn but that you can spend a lifetime mastering. There are no age restrictions, and there are modifications to allow people in wheelchairs to curl, so it's open to a wide range of people. I definitely plan on learning more.

The Bay Area Curling Club has a variety of events coming up, with a student series (ages 12-22) beginning in April. They also host corporate events, have league play, and generally have fun. To learn more, check out the Bay Area Curling Club website. Special thanks to Colleen for arranging the tickets and to all the instructors for their time and patience. And shout outs to Michael, Shad, @mcplanner and all the other folks who showed up to learn about curling. I hope you all had as much fun as I did!

more pictures:


links:
Bay Area Curling Club
CBC Coverage of curling
curling (Wikipedia)

signs: Homeroom

Homeroom

Istopped by Homeroom the other day on way home from Kaiser. The sign, like the food, is simple yet effective. I'll blog more about the food another day when I've got more time.

wanna learn curling?

Super short notice, but I've got a free pair of tickets available for Saturday's Intro to Curling put on by the Bay Area Curling Club. The sport has grown rapidly in popularity since the 2006 Olympics. Tickets are normally $15 per person and sell out rapidly (yes, it's popular!) but I've got two for tomorrow's session from 2:30pm to 5pm at the Oakland Ice Center. Learn "chess on ice"! Stones! Sweeping! Tickets are first come, first serve. The tickets are gone! I'll be there to check it out, too.

upcoming Oakland events

Don't let the return of rainy weather keep you from enjoying and supporting Oakland. As always, let me know of other interesting events in the comments!

volunteer with Oakland Public Libraries - Thursday, March 15, 6:30pm at the main library and Saturday, March 17, 10:15am at the Rockridge branch. OPL will host information sessions for anyone interested in volunteer opportunities at the libraries, including Second Start Adult Literacy and the Bookmark Bookstore. (free)

Creative Growth Fundraiser - Friday, March 16, 6-9pm. "Beyond Trend". A gala fundraiser for the Center for Creative Growth, with DJ music, a silent auction, and tasty-sounding food. (more info)

Sundays by the Lake - Sunday, March 18, 1-4pm. The historic Camron-Stanford House kicks off its new Sundays by the Lake program with a visit from Heidi Wyckoff and Annalee Allen who will be signing their beautiful book, Oakland Landmarks.

looking further ahead:
Tulip Exhibition - Friday, March 23 to Sunday, March 25. It's time for the annual tulip exhibition at Mt. View Cemetery. The already beautiful grounds come alive with color for spring. You can check out the tulips any time, but Friday through Sunday there will be special exhibitions in the Tower Chapel. (free)

Oakland Running Festival - Sunday, March 25. Whether you're running the 5K or the full marathon, or (like me) just volunteering, the Oakland Running Festival is a fun blast of Oakland love. The marathon and relay go all over Oakland, so check it out. (website)

Dinner and Bikes - Wednesday, March 28, 7:30-9pm. Join East Bay Bike Coalition for an evening of dinner and bicycle inspiration at Arbor Cafe in Temescal. ($5-$10)

Beyond Emancipation fundraiser Wednesday, March 28, 5-9pm Dine out and help foster youth succeed and thrive. Italian Colors will generously donate a percentage of your dinner bill to support Beyond Emancipation's programs for current and former foster youth in Alameda County.

Book Sale by FOPL - Thursday, April 5 - Sunday, April 8. Books 50% off for members on Thursday (you can join that morning), and 30%-50% off Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (website)

Oakland Veg Week - April 15-21. Thought about eating vegetarian? Oakland Veg Week will have a variety of events to introduce people to the idea. (website)

plus the usual events:
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

Mountain View Cemetery: 1918 Flu Pandemic

Last month I was in Mountain View Cemetery again to check out the grave of Captain William T. Shorey, and noted that he died during the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic, or as it's widely known, the Spanish flu. You may also have seen the name grippe, or la grippe.

Kaiser Convention Center

Although Capt. Shorey and his family are in their own plot, there's a section in Mt. View where many Oakland victims of the flu are buried. According to Wikipedia, the three waves of the pandemic killed more than 1,400 people out of 216,000 then living in Oakland, or about 0.65% of the population. For a time, the Kaiser Convention Center (then known as the Oakland Auditorium) was used as a makeshift hospital.

The worldwide toll was staggering. It's estimated that between 50 and 100 million people died in the years of the pandemic, or between 3 and 6% of the world's population at the time. In an unusual twist, most of the victims were healthy, young adults, because the virus stimulated an overreaction from their healthy immune systems. It spread rapidly around the world because of advances in transportation and because of World War I, even as far as the Arctic and remote Pacific islands.

Warren E. Greer

Not all of the people buried in plot 53 at Mt. View are influenza victims, but one was Warren Everett Greer (1880-1919). He married Freida Jund, and they had a son, Everett Greer (who is buried nearby in St. Mary's cemetery). Warren was an accountant, and a Woodman of the World. He would have been about 39 when influenza struck, in the prime of life.

A few of the other gravestones that caught my eye are below. Not all are influenza victims, but there's a native of Australia, some symbols that were new to me, and more. DeMolay International (the crest with the DM, crescent moon and star) is connected to the Freemasons, and past members include Walt Disney, John Wayne, Walter Cronkite, John Steinbeck, and Bill Clinton.




lots more pictures:


Read more about the influenza plot at Mountain View Cemetery, and about some of the more famous victims of the flu at Lives of the Dead. Read some newspaper articles from the period at Oakland Genealogy.

Visit Taphophile Tragics for interesting graves from around the world.

Oakland Urban Paths: Oakmore Highlands

Oakmore Highlands

Saturday, Oakland Urban Paths explored the urban stairs and pathways of Oakmore Highlands and how they connect to watershed and regional trail systems. A group of 30 people and one dog met on Leimert Boulevard in front of Rocky's Market for the vigorous walk. We were joined by some members of Friends of Sausal Creek to hear about their work in restoring and protecting the Sausal Creek watershed.

Oakmore Highlands is a development dating back to the 1920s. Developers Walter and Harry Leimert owned the Park Boulevard Company, which built the bridge in 1926 and ran the Key System line across it to develop Oakmore Highlands. It's hard to see from the road, but the bridge features a sweeping arch across Dimond Canyon, and is 357 feet long and 117 feet high. It was designed by engineer George Posey (who also designed the Posey tube). You can still see the steel poles that held the overhead lines for the Key System trains.

After a brief exploration of some of the stairs in Piedmont, we came back across the bridge and started up a series of four stairways. One was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939. We wound around the streets to the upper end of Fruitvale Avenue, then to a hilltop overlooking the Greek Orthodox Cathedral and the Mormon Temple. The Mormon Temple was dedicated in 1964, and according to a NY Times article, averages a $35,000 per month electric bill. As it's completely lit up at night and visible from all over Oakland and beyond, the large electric bill is no surprise.

Dimond Canyon

From there we walked down Monterey Blvd., parallel to highway 13. Our leader, Paul, pointed out the tunnel under highway 13 that connects to trails in the nearby hills and Joaquin Miller park. We left the sidewalk and went into Dimond canyon. That may look familiar to long-time readers—K and I explored it last spring. The folks from Friends of Sausal Creek (FOSC) showed us areas where restoration work has been done and where there are plans for more. If you're interested in volunteering with them, see the FOSC website. Note that the creek runs all the way from near highway 13 down to the estuary in Fruitvale.

We returned to one of the stairways we'd first climbed for a group photo. Special shoutout to Doug Beyerlein of publicstairs.com who sent along the stair buttons. And a woofout to Joey, who was a great dog during the walk. Although this was a bit shorter walk (4.53 miles) than last month's Rock and Walk, it more than made up for it with the elevation changes. Next month's walk should be a good workout, too, exploring from the Laurel to Leona Heights. Hope to see you there!



Lots more pictures from the walk:


See our route on Google Maps.

lack of posts

Sorry for the relative lack of posts this week. Between work (good) and some eye problems (bad*), I haven't been able to spend as much time attending events or blogging as I'd like. (*Apparently no diseases or damage in my eyes, though after a trip to Kaiser, my eyes are looking a bit like Homer's after licking a toad. Mostly likely I'll need glasses soon.)

Don't worry, Our Oakland isn't going away like the East Bay Express article seems to think much of the Oakland blogosphere has done. What has happened is that last year's winners of the League of Women Voters "helping make democracy work" award aren't blogging as much. VSmoothe at A Better Oakland isn't blogging at the moment, Becks at Living in the O isn't blogging as much, Zennie at Oakland Focus is mostly blogging on Zennie62.com about non-Oakland topics, Debby Richman of Today in Montclair moved to Utah (someone else took over the blog) and Aimee Allison of Oakland Seen has been focused on other (paying) work. Read an alternative viewpoint at Oakland Local.

While I definitely miss their insight and views on things, especially VSmoothe's attention to Oakland politics, there are lots of other Oakland blogs that are active. In the right column below the Oakland news section are a list of Oakland blogs, with the 10 most recently updated shown. The list currently only has 30 or so active blogs in it, though I have a list of hundreds that I could add. I'm looking for a replacement for the Blogger 'Blog List' widget, which doesn't do well with hundreds of blogs. Ideas?

In any event, I'm hoping to be back to my regular blogging schedule next week.

upcoming Oakland events

As usual, an eclectic assortment of upcoming events, from meeting a NASA astronaut to a more down to earth walk around the Oakmore neighborhood.

Celebrate International Women's Day - Thursday, March 8, 12-1pm. This year's theme is Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures. Speakers, entertainment, and a short women's history walking tour. (register; free)

Bicycle Bingo for Rebuilding Together Oakland - Thursday, March 8, 7-9pm. Have fun, play bingo, drink beer, and support Rebuilding Together Oakland. Bicycle Bingo is a weekly event at Actual Cafe, benefiting different local non-profits.

The Town Spectacle: Interactive Art - Friday, March 9, 6-9pm. The Oakland Asian Cultural Center in partnership with The New Hall and RAMA is making moves to revolutionize the way you interact with art. (website)

Explore Oakmore with Oakland Urban Paths - Saturday, March 10, 10am-12:30pm. Join Oakland Urban Paths to check out how local pathways connect to watershed and regional trail systems. (free)

Volunteer for Oakland! - Saturday, March 10, 1-4pm. Like Oakland? Help make it better. Learn about volunteering at organizations already making a different in Oakland: Oakland Literacy Coalition • Oakland Mentoring Forum • Oakland Community Gardens • Oakland Parks Coalition • Oakland Public Library • Friends of Sausal Creek • Friends of Oakland Public School Libraries • Garber Park Stewards • Oakland Dogowners Group • Oakland Ballet • Oakland Zoo • CORE • Oakland Public Library • Chabot Space & Science Center • Children’s Fairyland • Oakland Museum of California • Peralta Hacienda Historical Park • Reading Partners • Writer Coach Connection (free)

NASA at 81st Ave. Library - Saturday, March 10, 1pm. The space shuttle may no longer fly, but NASA is thriving. Listen to an astronaut talk about the space station. Ask questions and take pictures at the East Oakland Public Library. (free)

Ethiopian Cooking Class - Saturday, March 10, 1-5pm. Brundo is celebrating the Grand Opening of their Ethiopian Culinary Studio with a cooking class. Selome Haileleoul will demonstrate spice blending and a traditional coffee ceremony. RSVP at info@brundo.com.

Oakland Running Festival - Sunday, March 25. It's not too late to register to run in the Oakland Running Festival, or to volunteer. Kid's Fun Run, 5K, Half Marathon, Team Relay, and Full Marathon. (website)


looking further ahead:
Creative Growth Fundraiser - Friday, March 16, 6-9pm. "Beyond Trend". A gala fundraiser for the Center for Creative Growth, with DJ music, a silent auction, and great-sounding food. (more info)

Sundays by the Lake - Sunday, March 18. The historic Camron-Stanford House kicks off its new Sundays by the Lake program with a visit from Heidi Wyckoff and Annalee Allen who will be signing their beautiful book, Oakland Landmarks.

Oakland Running Festival - Sunday, March 25. Whether you're running the 5K or the full marathon, or (like me) just volunteering, the Oakland Running Festival is a fun blast of Oakland love. The marathon and relay go all over Oakland, so check it out. (website)

Beyond Emancipation fundraiser Wednesday, March 28, 5-9pm Dine out and help foster youth succeed and thrive. Italian Colors will generously donate a percentage of your dinner bill to support Beyond Emancipation's programs for current and former foster youth in Alameda County.

Oakland Veg Week - April 15-21. Thought about eating vegetarian? Oakland Veg Week will have a variety of events to introduce people to the idea. (website)

plus the usual events:
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

on the waterfront

Over the last couple of weeks I've had more opportunities than usual to spend along Oakland's waterfront, from Jack London Square down to Hegenberger. People know about the pathway along the water in Jack London Square, but you can (with some detours) take that all the way down to the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline around San Leandro Bay. It's particularly lovely in the early morning with the tide out, watching the shorebirds feeding in the mudflats. It's hard to believe it's not far from I-880.

more pictures:

lend a hand at the food bank

food sorting at ACCFB

Last night, dozens of volunteers gathered to lend a hand at the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Before we even started, we were treated to food from The Grilled Cheez Guy, so we had plenty of energy for the work ahead. I've been to the ACCFB for different events like their annual Empty Bowls fundraiser and volunteered there before, but this was the first time I've sorted food.

It turns out sorting food at the food bank is fairly simple. They divided us into several groups: emptying the donation barrels, sorting packaged food, sorting produce, and "shopping" by filling boxes from sorted food. It also turns out that with lots of people, you can sort a lot of food in a short time. In about two hours of work, we sorted about 30,000 pounds of food, including 10,200 pounds of produce.

During the sorting, we removed food that was expired, in damaged packages, or isn't something that the Food Bank will distribute. Several years ago, the ACCFB became the first major food bank in the U.S. to stop distributing soda. They also added a huge refrigerator to allow them to distribute more fresh produce. Since moving to their facility near the airport, they've increased distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables from a couple hundred thousand pounds per year to over 11 million pounds, with even more expected for 2012.

is this food OK?

If tens of thousands of pounds in one night and millions of pounds each year sounds like a lot of food, it is. That's because there's a huge need. The ACCFB works with 275 member agencies around Alameda county, including soup kitchens, senior centers, after-school programs, and community-based organizations. They serve one in six people in Alameda county through different programs, 43% of them children. Besides food distribution, ACCFB also runs a toll-free food helpline (1-800-870-3663), does community outreach about the food stamp program, provides workshops and nutrition education to clients and member agencies, and does hunger education and advocacy.

You can help, whether by donating money or food, organizing a food drive, or by volunteering. There are various ways to volunteer, and sorting food is only one of them. But it's an easy way to do some good and feel good about what you've done.

The Grilled Cheez Guy

More pictures from the ACCFB.