As life changes around us, we are being asked to rethink how we acquire the food we need for our families. Do we venture into potentially dangerous grocery stores, support huge corporations, or are there other options?

For years, Kitchen Angels has worked with Just The Best - a locally owned and operated food distribution service. The owners, Bill and Jenny Morris, have been generous Kitchen Angels donors, and have supplied our kitchen with the freshest produce around.

Food distributors have taken a big hit since many restaurants have shuttered. Instead of closing their doors, some companies are rethinking their business models. Just The Best has launched a home-delivery service call Just For You by JTB. Individuals are now able to order produce and seafood online and JTB will deliver to your door for a small, $10 fee. This is a smart alternative to shopping at the grocery store, and it helps keep our local businesses afloat.

We don't yet know how our access to food will be altered with ongoing social-restrictions and people in the work-force falling ill. You can learn more about the different ways our food supply-chain is being strained in this New York Times article.

How are Kitchen Angels volunteers planning for possible food shortages? Thinking of starting a garden for the first time? Here are some ideas on How to Jumpstart you COVID-19 Victory Garden. No space for a garden? Garden Sharing is a good way to invest time and energy into growing food when you don't have the land. We love the idea of gardeners swapping excess produce. Although there are no farmers/gardeners actively using the app in our area, CropSwap looks like a cool way for growers to trade, sell or donate produce to the community. Do any of our volunteers know of local resources for this type of food sharing? Let's keep growing our local food community!

The New York Times has made some of their content free to keep people up to date on everything coronavirus-related. They're also offering free recipes and tips for Quarantine Cooking. They are uploading new recipes daily - for seasoned cooks as well as those experimenting in the kitchen for the first time. You'll find a go-to guide on sourdough bread making, a list of ingredient substitutions, an easy chocolate cake recipe you can make with children, how to stock your pantry, etc.  Click here to access the content. You can also subscribe if you'd like the full content. Now's the time to brush up on your culinary skills!

At this time, we are seeking volunteers who have culinary skills. We are operating with a "skeleton crew" in the kitchen so we can observe social distancing protocols. That means we are doing more with fewer people. The shifts might stretch to a full two hours. If you know people who are capable in the kitchen and who don't need a lot of assistance while following a recipe, please let us know.

Here is our current set of criteria, which we are using to screen all volunteers:

• No out of state travel by plane, train, bus or automobile in the past 14 days for anyone living in your household or anyone with whom you are in close contact.
• Practicing social distancing, mask-wearing and hand-washing/sanitizing as recommended by the CDC and NM Department of Health.
• Not volunteering at other organizations or working in "high risk" facilities (emergency room, grocery store) where you are in contact with five or more individuals over the course of the day.
• No volunteering until 17 days after the cessation of symptoms if exposed to someone with cold or flu-like symptoms.
• If you have been sick, no volunteering until:
• Three days after resolution of fever without fever-reducing medication and improvement of respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath);
• Or...negative results of FDA Emergency Use Authorized molecular assay for COVID-19 from at least two consecutive nasopharyngeal swab specimens collected ≥24 hours apart.

 

 

While all of us are serving time in quarantine and dealing with added stress and fear of the unknown, it is vitally important to keep up on our healthcare. We won't be able to tend to ourselves in the same ways as we did before, but there are plenty of unique approaches to staying physically, mentally and emotionally fit.

The World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week. Click here for their overview on how to stay physically active during self-quarantine.

There are a growing number of free YouTube workout videos that you can watch and exercise along with. Here's a list of The 10 Best YouTube Channels for Full At-Home Workouts. We  think The Fitness Marshall looks like fun dance tutorials with hilarious commentary that will leave you sweating and laughing at the same time.

We all know that eating a nutritious diet is vital to keeping our immune system thriving. Here's a  great little booklet that was put together by Kitchen Angels' nutritionist Kathy Moore-Gregory. We printed it out and gave it to all of our clients in April. The booklet informs us on how to build Immune Resilience with food, vitamins, botanicals, movement, sleep, hydration, etc. We have copies of the booklet in the volunteer room, or next to the gloves up on the loading dock.

There are some good, scientifically-based images, charts and information on the CDC website that you can use to stay up to date on everything related to COVID-19.  We ask for our volunteers to continue to screen themselves according to these guidelines. The  NM Department of Health also provides up-to-date local information. 

 

In addition to fever, cough and shortness of breath, the CDC lists six other symptoms that could be signs of the coronavirus:

1. Chills
2. Repeated shaking with chills
3. Muscle pain
4. Headache
5. Sore throat
6. Loss of taste or smell 

May 4 - 10 is Nurse's Week - and we can't think of many other professions that deserve to be honored right now more than nursing. Probably most of us know a nurse and have seen and heard the great lengths to which they go to ensure their patients are well-cared for. Now more than ever, nurses are being asked to place their lives on the line to care for those who are suffering with this new virus.

Do you want to show the nurses in your life that you are thinking of them but don't know how? Click here for a great article on 20 Ways to Support Nurses & Health Car Workers on the Front Lines of COVID-19. 

While we're at it, let's take a moment to honor all of the teachers, since May 5th is National Teacher's Day. Across the country, teachers K-12+ had to figure out overnight how to teach their students remotely. If you've experienced online zoom meetings, doctor visits or therapy sessions, you know some of the glitches that come with an online format. 

We've heard many stories about parents, now faced with home-schooling, who are beside themselves with the job of re-directing wandering minds and settling rambunctious little bodies. Recognizing that teachers have this job five days a week gives many parents a new appreciation for our educators. Here's a good site that lets us know of novel ways to express our gratitude to teachers during quarantine. 

We are endlessly grateful for how well all of our volunteers are handling the dramatic changes at Kitchen Angels. Some of you have had to temporarily step back after many years of dedicated service. We know it's difficult, but thank you for your understanding, and please know we will call on you again.

We're asking volunteers to be flexible, and many are working at different jobs than they're used to. We're especially grateful for those who are cleaning and sanitizing thermal delivery bags instead of assisting in the kitchen. This is a new and very important task that we're doing to ensure the delivery bags remain germ and/or virus- free.

Who are those masked volunteers?! From L: Joe K., Taylor B., Dan K., Jessica W., Jaime L., KK R., and Michael M.

We have also had an influx of about 50 new volunteers stepping up - individuals who are in a lower-risk category and suddenly find themselves with a lot of time on their hands. They are keeping the ball rolling while many of our long-term volunteers are sheltering at home and staying safe. 

Taylor & Joe moved to Santa Fe two months ago from St. Paul, MN. They didn't have time to find jobs before the pandemic drove them indoors. They work in the kitchen and delivery prep and manage traffic. 

Max and Becky both worked at Meow Wolf and have more time on their hands while the Santa Fe exhibit is closed. KK is helping out in the kitchen while she can - before being deployed as a medical assistant if and when it is required. Jessica is literally a rocket scientist with NASA, but for us, she helps with delivery prep and traffic detail. Her boyfriend,  Michael, works for us in the kitchen and delivery prep, while not working at LANL. 

Maggie has trained in every position we have. Her name has become synonymous with someone who can do anything and everything well. Example: that new volunteer is a total Maggie - we can call her to fill any vacancy! We hope you all get to meet and welcome some of our new "emergency volunteers."

A letter from Tony D'Agostino, Kitchen Angels founder...