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.

Throw Down for the Town

Saturday was a city-wide event organized by the Ella Baker Center. People of all ages and from all walks of life came out to help make Oakland a better place. There were a variety of service projects all over Oakland, including cleaning up parks, wetlands restoration, working on community gardens, building homes with Habitat, creating a dog park, and working with seniors.

I chose wetlands restoration, which was an event with Save the Bay at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline. I selected it in part because I wanted to try something different, and it was an excuse to ride along more of the SF Bay Trail. When I got the confirmation email with directions, I found out it was also the 50th Anniversary for Save the Bay, and it was going to a shortened work day plus a celebration. I considered signing up for a different event, but in the end I'm glad I went to this one. While they had a full contingent of volunteers, it turned out I was the only one who was there as part of Throw Down for the Town.

at MLK Shoreline

We started with a brief introduction to Save the Bay, how it was started, and the work they do now. On hand were dozens of volunteers, including a group from NBC Bay Area as part of their Bay Area Proud program. We then split up into different groups, to water new plantings, weed invasive species, pick up trash, and prepare for the celebration later. I joined the group weeding; one of the Save the Bay habitat specialists showed us what we were looking for, and off we went. Although the area has been under restoration for some time and is in general doing very well, there was a large amount of English plantain in one stretch, so we didn't have far to go to get to work.

at Mosswood Park

After a couple of hours of work, we wrapped up and got down to celebrating Save the Bay's 50th anniversary. There were games, a raffle, photos with the Save the Bay shark, various things for lunch, and mimosas or wine from Barefoot Wine & Bubbly. NBC Bay Area interviewed various people for sound bites, and we did a group shot with everyone shouting "happy 50th anniversary, Save the Bay!".

When I went to head off to Mosswood Park for the Throw Down for the Town party, I discovered I had a flat tire. Fortunately I was able to get a ride (thanks, Dylan!), and after a brief stop at Manifesto Bikes to fix the flat, headed over to the party at Mosswood Park.

What did you do for Throw Down for the Town?

more photos:

Save the Bay

Throw Down for the Town

more coverage:
Ella Baker Center blog
Oakland Local
Oakland North

farewell, Mom Green

Mom Green

Yesterday, Oakland said farewell to one of its heroes, Cora "Mom" Green. I blogged about her last year when Oakland Firefighters Random Acts gave Mom a lifetime achievement award.

Mom spent pretty much her whole life making the world a better place. Her family moved to the Bay Area when she was 11. After high school, she went to work at Alta Bates hospital, and eventually earned her nursing degree in 1965. Alta Bates was where she met Doug "Pop" Green, who was the head chef. They married, had a daughter and then moved to Oakland in 1972.

Mom was given enough awards to cover a wall, but she didn't try to get attention for herself. She and Pop volunteered in the community for years, and formalized their efforts in the 90s with the Mom and Pop Green Foundation. She was one of those people who just did things, and if she needed your help, she'd get it, forging relationships with various Bay Area companies, government entities, and sports teams.

"You can't help everybody, but you have to do what you can"

- Mom Green

OFRA Books and Balls

I was blessed to spend time with Mom some years ago at an Oakland Firefighters Random Acts event at Franklin Elementary School. If you look at the picture, you can see Mom on the back of the parade engine, along with various firefighters and Alison Barakat (better known as Bakesale Betty) distributing new playground balls to very happy school children.

last ride

In the last few years, she was slowed by cancer, but not stopped until recently. She died March 30th, 2011. Mom's last journey began at the C.P. Bannon funeral home on the Random Acts parade engine. A police motorcycle escort led the procession up International Blvd. past station 4, around Lake Merritt, and eventually to Bethany Baptist Church. Given how many lives she touched, it was no surprise there was a large turnout to say goodbye to Mom. Representatives of the Oakland police, firefighters, Oakland Raiders, various churches, and councilmember Desley Brooks all spoke about Mom and the impact she had. After a rousing service, Mom was carried to Rolling Hills and buried beside Pop. Family and friends then proceeded to the West Oakland Senior Center for a repast to reflect on Mom and share a meal.

Check out the nice piece on Mom KGO Channel 7.

Mom Green

BART under civil rights investigation

I figured the OAC was a done deal after the city council inexplicably went along with BART's plans, but according to Living in the O, BART is under a civil rights investigation by the Federal Transit Administration. In part, this is because BART's EIR (Environmental Impact Report) is based on 2002 data, the OAC including multiple intermediate stops (the OAC plans currently have none), and a $2 fare (the OAC plans currently call for a $6 fare vs. $3 for the current AirBART). The cost for implementing the OAC will also likely be borne in part by higher BART fares and/or reduced service.

I've noted before that BART could build a new station at 98th to better serve the residents of East Oakland and implement TransForm's proposed RapidBART bus plan with intermediate stops for a good deal less than the OAC's $500 million (and climbing) price tag. This won't necessarily stop it, but it's a huge step in getting others to take a look at some alternatives.

signs: C.P. Bannon Mortuary

C.P. Bannon Mortuary

Time keeps on slippin' into the future. And there's nothing like a good clock to remind you that your time could be up soon. The C.P. Bannon Mortuary on International may not have a great sign, but like other funeral homes it's got a clock.