In today's newscast:
30 million meals
Project Open Hand delivered its 30 millionth meal Monday to San Francisco resident Nicholas Galarza.
Galarza, who lives with HIV, has been a recipient of meals since 2020.
At a press conference outside his apartment, Katie Jackson, chief nutrition officer at Project Open Hand, said a 30 millionth meal is more than just food.
“It's the opportunity to connect in our community, to provide care,” she said, "to provide love."
Project Open Hand’s first meal started with one local resident.
In 1985, a 63-year-old retiree, Ruth Brinker, witnessed a close friend dealing with AIDS and also suffering from malnutrition. As a former food service worker, she started preparing meals for neighbors.
Now, the program delivers more than 2,500 meals each day, not just to people with HIV, but many other health conditions.
That reporting from our partner, KALW.
Ecology opportunity returns
The Coastal Watershed Council and People First of Santa Cruz County have relaunched their River Stewards program. Each week, participants from the Armory Shelter help restore the San Lorenzo Riverbank.
People First Director of Program Operations Matt Barnett says the program engages people at the shelter who don’t normally talk to each other.
"They're coming together on this commonality," he said, "and it's creating an environment, at least at the shelter, that feels a lot more peaceful between them."
Executive director Evan Morrison adds the work helps people practice job skills.
"These folks want to be contributing. And if we wanna support them in contributing," he said, "we need to have spaces where they can try and fail and try and fail and try again."
The program continues until mid-November.
