Basementeer Program Spotlight: San Francisco
AIDS/LifeCycle
Like many of our favorite events this year, AIDS/LifeCycle won’t be happening in the traditional way we’ve come to know and love. But our commitment to the mission of ending AIDS is stronger than ever, so we’re still raising critical funds for the Ride’s beneficiary agencies - San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center – and we’d love for you to join us!
The Center and the Foundation have worked to rapidly adapt as the needs of the community have drastically changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. They continue to provide front-line medical care to those who need it most and have rolled out a telemedicine program so that clients receive the services they need! To continue providing these services, our beneficiary agencies need support.
That’s where AIDS/LifeCycle has stepped up to the plate, with the brand new virtual program, the MY 545 Challenge! It’s a “choose your own challenge”, where you commit to logging 545 miles, minutes, reps, or any other measurement of a challenge of your choice by May 30th, 2020. Now’s an awesome time to break out that bike trainer, yoga mat, or pair of running shoes and get your body moving for a great cause. Some participants have even taken on volunteering or meditation as their challenge!
Visit aidslifecycle.org/my545 to learn more about how you can participate in this fun physical challenge while supporting critical health services in this uncertain time.
Can’t commit to the MY 545 Challenge but would like to donate to AIDS/LifeCycle? Thank you! Visit aidslifecycle.org/care to make a donation today.
SF Unified School District
While schools are closed, The San Francisco Unified School District is committed to providing nutritious meals to all students who need them. SFUSD is working in tandem with the SF Department of Emergency Management, the Red Cross, and the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank to ensure these pickup sights are both appropriately stocked and run smoothly. Last week, SFUSD pick up sites served about 2,700 children/day and this week are prepared to serve over 6,000 children/day.
New Plan for School Meal Pick Up
Free grab and go meals will be available only on Mondays and Wednesdays between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. at these 16 sites. They have reduced the number of days families have to leave their homes to get food, but the amount of food each family receives will remain the same. Also, parents no longer have to bring their children to pick up meals.
Additional Resources for Families
We know this is a difficult time for many families and children. Here are some resources from various agencies where you can find childcare, food, and more help if needed.
How you can help during school closures
Donate to their COVID-19 Response Fund to help SFUSD serve families during this emergency closure, and help them prepare to support schools when students return.
Your donation today would help SFUSD:
- Deploy the technology and online instructional infrastructure students and teachers need to deliver distance learning while they remain sheltered in place
- Continue to provide and distribute meals to an increasing number of students and their families who are most in need
We thank you for helping them to raise more than $4 million to date, and appreciate your ongoing support!
Text "4SFUSD" to 44321 or donate online.
Shark Stewards
We can still fight for our oceans while indoors! Join ocean conservationist and educator David McGuire and Basementeer Shark Stewards for a weekly Facebook live webinar on Fridays at 12 PM throughout April. The first will be on sharks April 3 at 12 PM, and the following on ocean plastic and pollution solutions.
Take a quiz and test your shark knowledge. Add your favorite shark species and it may be included in our kids science shark book to be published this year!
Webinar Schedule
- April 3 — What is a Shark and how does it relate to ocean health?
- April 10 — Ocean plastics and health in a crisis
- April 17 — Marine Protected Areas and healthy humans
- April 24 — Community vote TBD
Shark Stewards is a non profit activist group (see photo taken way before SIP to the left) with the mission of restoring ocean health by saving sharks from overfishing and the shark fin trade, and protecting critical marine habitat. Shark Stewards catalyzed the North America shark fin trade ban movement, and now works for the creation of marine protected areas from California to SE Asia. Their work is directed at reducing the wildlife trade to China and SE Asia from sharks to sun bears, and reducing marine plastic pollution.
Here are a few ways you can support Shark Stewards:
- Take Action: Shark Stewards is conducting several campaigns to save sharks and wildlife, including protecting Sun Bears and other threatened wildlife from Borneo to China for the traditional medicine trade. Sign our online petitions to end the shark fin trade.
- Volunteer virtually: Like small businesses, non profits are suffering as much or more. We have had to cancel 8 education events, classes and the Ocean Film Festival, but still have online needs, graphic design and creative ideas!
- Double your Dollar: Buy at Sports basement online, get your 10% Basementeer discount and 10% of your purchase will go to Shark Stewards education program.
- Donate: and help us design more online learning in this time of shelter in place and need.
San Francisco-Marin Food Bank
The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank is doing an amazing job helping our local communities by making sure they have access to healthy food. Now, more than ever, it’s critical to get food out to the community. Schools are closing, people are homebound, and many have their work hours cut in the wake of COVID–19. These people will need our help to provide healthy food for themselves and their families!
The Food Bank is still fully operational but they can’t provide food without you. They rely on amazing volunteers to help pack and distribute over 1 million pounds of food per month!
Since nearly 100 of their partner distribution pantries (at schools, houses of worship, senior and community centers, etc.) have closed down, they’re working with San Francisco and Marin school districts to host pop-up food pantries at schools that are offering to-go meals for students. When students and parents pick up their breakfast and lunch, they will also be able to get pre-bagged groceries to take home. This will help make sure families have the food they need.
Sports Basement is always ready to lend a hand...and 2,500 paper bags.
You can make a huge difference by supporting them in any of these 3 ways!
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Donations: Help them raise funds for the increasing amount of food they now need to provide, not only to their current participants, but the newly unemployed and others impacted by the economic downturn. It’s easy to set up a team fundraising page here.
Individuals and companies can also make secure donations directly on our website without using a team page, here. - Grocery bags: The Food Bank continues to need bags with which to distribute food during this crisis, no matter how long it lasts. Sports Basement donated 2,500 paper bags to them on Monday and you can too! Feel free to donate that massive paper bag collection you've got at home or direct other companies that may be able to donate to the Food Bank. As a reminder, the bags need to be at least grocery size, paper (with handles if possible), or thick plastic, as long as “Re-usable” is printed on them. They are able to pick up from locations in SF and Marin (and possibly further if need be). Their trucks are available approx. 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., M-F, for bag pickups.
- Volunteering: The Food Bank is looking for volunteer assistance at their weekly food pantries. They have opportunities everyday, in the morning and evening.
Shifts will take place outdoors, most often on the sidewalk or a parking lot, and to further protect the health of volunteers and participants they are:
- Asking participants to keep 6 feet or more of distance from one another while in line
- Pre-bagging groceries for participants to minimize contact between participants and volunteers
- Encouraging all other best practices: cleaning surfaces regularly, providing hand sanitizer, and wearing gloves.
Click here to see their COVID-19 crisis volunteer opportunities.
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition partners with City agencies, community groups and schools to educate youth and families to the joys of biking. Bike and Roll is the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s largest annual youth celebration of biking & rolling in San Francisco. With the current Shelter in Place order, Bike and Roll was cancelled. Even though Bike & Roll to School Week is canceled, there are still ways to celebrate biking and rolling amidst school closures.
Enter the Bike & Roll to School Week art contest — the deadline to enter is April 30, 2020!
- All ages may enter, and one grand prize winner’s art will be featured on the 2021 Bike & Roll Week poster!
- Spend a little time each day outside. The current shelter-in-place order does not prohibit families biking, scooting, walking, or rolling together for recreation or exercise, so long as 6-foot social distancing is maintained (and please keep excursions restricted to people within your household).
- For everyone caring for their families at home, getting out for a safe ride in the park or around your neighborhood could be a great antidote to stir-craziness.
Art Contest:
Want to have your art featured in every school in the city? Send in your artwork about biking as a student in San Francisco and you could win prizes and the chance to be featured. The deadline is now extended to April 30! Learn more about submitting your art here.
Meals on Wheels SF
Meals on Wheels San Francisco provides a network of services that allow seniors to live in their homes with dignity and independence as long as possible.
During this crisis Meals on Wheels SF is continuing to serve their clients every day which include homebound seniors and adults with disabilities. Clients are challenged in the best of times and now need our assistance more than ever.
MOWSF services over 3000 people every day. The office staff, drivers and kitchen are considered essential services and have been working tirelessly continuing to deliver nutritious meals out to those who need it the most in every neighborhood of San Francisco. If you want to assist MOWSF ensuring they can keep this important service going please consider helping in these ways:
- Donations
- Volunteer
- Supplies – please contact MOWSF at info@mowsf.org if you have unopened boxes of gloves, sanitizer, or masks