Easing Local Food Insecurity ... Bit by Bit

"O ur new website now posts all of our bill inserts. You'll find them all accessible, along with additional info postings, in chronological order on this page .

"Customers can also sign up for 'Collection Reminders' on the menu bar. You'll receive a weekly email the night before your service day to remind you to put out your carts. It will also include a weekly recycling tip."

-- Tim

Email questions about

Curbside Composting

or recycling to

"Compost Corner."

Responses graciously provided by

Tim Dewey-Mattia,

Napa Recycling

& Waste Services.

HERE'S WHAT YOU CanDo TO GET INVOLVED

Preventing food insecurity: In CanDo's Garden for the Food Bank we grow fresh, local produce for the CAN-V Food Bank. CanDo's Food Rescue Team collects produce from generous Napa Farmers' Market vendors for the Food Bank and Homeless Shelter. Email Karen.

Waterway Keepers began as a CanDo project. Now it's orchestrated by our friends at the Napa Co. Resource Conservation District. Volunteers help maintain our river and streams to keep them vibrant and alive. Email Ashley.

Raises funds and awareness for local nonprofits in a year-end giving campaign. Planning takes place beginning each spring. Lots of ways to help! Email hilary or Nancy.

CanDo has a brilliant

program to share food with neighbors in need. Email Marilyn.

New to CanDo?

Click here to receive this nifty weekly eNewsletter.

The CanDo Connection

is filled with volunteer opportunities

and events to help you connect with community.

Our Mission Statement

The Choices We Make

Napa Valley CanDo seeks to inspire and facilitate action by alerting interested Valley residents about opportunities for service. If you participate as a volunteer in an activity that you learned about through Napa Valley CanDo, whether initiated by CanDo or another organization, please take personal responsibility for your involvement. Use common sense. Only you can determine whether an activity is a good fit, that is to say compatible with your interests and abilities.

We did it!

Another

13,139 pounds of food

to share with hungry

Napa County neighbors.

Did you realize that some 10,000 Napa County residents rely on the Food Bank to help them each month? The vast majority are children and elders.

In 2019, CanDo's Napa Valley Food Project volunteers brought in 72,808 pounds of non-perishable food.

Add that to the produce CanDo's Food Rescue Team gathers at the Saturday Napa Farmers Market and the organic vegetables raised in CanDo's Garden for the Food Bank and our bumper crop last year came to:

80,585 pounds in 2019!

T ogether, we CanDo so much to allay food insecurity.

Learn more and volunteer with CanDo's Food Rescue Team here.

Email if you're interested in learning about becoming a Neighborhood Coordinator for our green bag project. Next orientation: Tues., March 17, 6-7:30PM / Napa location TBD.

Think spring's the perfect time to get into the garden? You're right. Email Karen for more information.

THREE TASTY BITS FROM GREEN BAG DAY

1. According to his mom, this littlest volunteer is a regular. "His name is Lev. He looks forward to green bag collection day every time as well as getting his granola bar 'reward'"!

2. Since Valentine's Day

is upon us, we suggested that Food Donors might want to add a sweet treat to their bags. The item with swirling circles is a dark chocolate bar. How's this for some neighborly TLC?

3. CanDo's Napa Valley Food Project is known

affectionately as our green bag project, but we're an equal opportunity collector of food when it comes to sharing w/ neighbors.

Cyndie, our volunteer Pick-up Day Coordinator, is holding one such bag we were happy to accept. The taped on tag told us it was a green bag wannabe.

FRESH LOCATION FOR YOUR FRESH VEGIES

(AND MORE)!

Everyone seemed to love the Napa Farmers Market's new location at the Napa Valley Expo.

CanDo's Food Rescue Team enjoyed chatting with the vendors and accepting their generous donations in this serene new venue on opening day, February 8.

Sign-up here to help deliver fresh produce any Saturday year-round. Produce goes to the Napa Homeless Shelter and the Food Bank.

HOUSING PROJECTS MOVE FORWARD

At last Tuesday's Napa City Council m eeting , an overflow crowd filled Council c hambers to express their opinions about these projects on Valle Verde Drive.

After hours of testimony , Council members voted unanimously to approve the projects . They will add 57 rental units for low income households and 33 units for formerly homeless persons. Final approval will be on February 18th.

Napa County has a "coordinated entry system" for determining who is next in line to get a unit when one becomes available. Looking ahead, of the 33 most likely applicants to be approved for Heritage House, 13 are female and 12 are older than 50.

This City Council decision is seen as precedent setting. CanDo welcomes it. If we are to solve our housing shortage challenges, e very neighborhood will have to include some form of affordable housing

THE CanDo SPOTLIGHT

Events and Volunteer Opportunities

from Other Groups Around the Valley

Tell 'em you heard about it through CanDo!

Note: Posting events in this "Spotlight" does not constitute an endorsement by Napa Valley CanDo unless expressly stated. We list a variety of opportunities and programs we feel may be of interest to our readers. Explore! Enjoy! Get involved!

FILM SHOWING: GENERATION ZAPPED

SPONSOR: Napa Neighborhood Association

for Safe Technology

Come to a special screening of Generation Zapped -- a new documentary film about the health risks of wireless technology. Brief discussion following the film. Co-hosted by the Napa County Progressive Alliance No 5G Action Team and the Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists. Click here for more information about the film.

DAY/DATE/TIME: Thursday, February 13 7-9PM

LOCATION: Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists' Sanctuary,

1625 Salvador Ave., Napa

COST: Free (donations will be accepted)

FFI: Email, call 707.257.7435, or visit their website.

FFI: Email, call 707.253.4070, or visit their website.

LIKE TO HAVE YOUR EVENT IN THE CanDo SPOTLIGHT?

Are you a nonprofit in need of volunteers? Or do you have a fundraiser, educational opportunity, or fun event you'd like to share in the SPOTLIGHT?

Space permitting, your post may run for up to three weeks leading to the date of your event. Photos you'd like us to consider MUST be sent as a jpg.

FFI: Learn more and submit event here .

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: S unday, 6PM for the following Tuesday's blast.