ACTUP Sonoma County1988: members of this infamous protest group will be talking about their contributions to AIDS awareness and support of AIDS patients in Sonoma County.
To register for the LGBTQI Timeline class please click on the appropriate link below. If you have not taken any classes through SRJC in the past year, you are considered a New Student.
HIV In-Home Test Kits Now Available for Home Delivery
We are excited to announce that getting an HIV In-Home Test Kit just got easier! If you reside in Sonoma County you can now receive one of our HIV In-Home testing kits in the mail. All you have to do is fill out the form on our website and we will send you the FREE kit. As always all information provided to Face to Face is confidential. We will not keep, use or sell your information to anyone. Click on the link belowhttps://f2f.org/services/hiv-testing
SYRINGE DROP BOX NOW IN PLACEWe are thrilled to be able to share with you our Syringe Kiosk located outside our office doors here in Santa Rosa. Now needles can be disposed of at this location 7 days a week, even when our offices are closed. We support the safety of people who use drugs and our community. In 2020 alone we retrieved 658,000 needles. With this drop box we will be able to keep more needles off of the streets to create a safer community.
Forward Together – 1988: Magi Fedorka will be talking to us about getting the Pride Resolution passed in 1992 as well as other accomplishments and struggles faced by this unwavering force for LGBTQI rights and recognition.
To register for the LGBTQI Timeline class please click on the appropriate link below. If you have not taken any classes through SRJC in the past year, you are considered a New Student.
Part one will take place on March 17th from 9-11 am and part two will take place on March 18th from 9-11 am. Zoom links for both parts will be shared with all attendees.
LGBTQ Connection is pleased to offer their LGBTQ Best Practices Training via Zoom! Our trainers are bilingual and can answer questions in English or Spanish, but this training will be held in English.
LGBTQ Connection is offering the Napa & Sonoma County communities and local organizations a chance to learn from and participate in LGBTQ Connection’s highly reviewed LGBTQ Best Practices training. This workshop helps attendees to better reach and serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, & transgender youth, adults, & seniors.
Don’t miss the opportunity to:
Have a better understanding of LGBTQ identities.
Have more compassion for LGBTQ people & their experiences.
Be more aware of specific issues that affect the mental health of LGBTQ youth & LGBTQ seniors.
Be more confident in your ability to support LGBTQ people.
Gain knowledge of resource and referral information for LGBTQ people.
Be able to identify specific mental health resources accessible for LGBTQ people.
Spots are limited! If you have any questions or want more information please contact Isamar at [email protected] or by calling 707-439-8928.
La primera parte se llevará a cabo el 17 de marzo de 9 a 11 a.m. Y la segunda parte se llevará a cabo el 18 de marzo de 9 a 11 a.m. Los enlaces de zoom para ambas partes se compartirán con todos los .
LGBTQ Connection está contenta de ofrecer su Capacitación de Mejores Prácticas LGBTQ en Zoom. Nuestros entrenadores son bilingües y pueden contestar sus preguntas en inglés o en español, pero esta capacitación se llevará a cabo en inglés.
LGBTQ Connection ofrece la oportunidad, a la comunidad de Napa y Sonoma y a las organizaciones locales, de participar en su capacitación de Mejores Prácticas LGBTQ. Este taller está diseñado a mejorar el conocimiento, el acceso y la inclusión de jóvenes, adultos y personas mayores que son lesbianas, gays, bisexuales y transgéneros.
Participantes saldrán con:
Una mejor comprensión de las identidades LGBTQ.
Más compasión por las personas LGBTQ y sus experiencias.
Concientización de los problemas específicos que afectan la salud mental de las/los jóvenes
LGBTQ y personas mayores LGBTQ.
Más confianza en su capacidad para apoyar a las personas LGBTQ.
Conocimiento de recursos e información de referencia para personas LGBTQ.
Capacidad de identificar recursos específicos de salud mental accesibles para personas LGBTQ.
¡Hay cupo limitado! Si tiene alguna pregunta o desee más información, póngase en contacto con Isamar: [email protected] o llame al 707-439-8928.
Join us on Saturday, March 13 from 2-4pm for the first of three virtual North Bay LGBTQI Families 2021 Symposium workshops! These spring workshops will align with our Symposium theme of Build, Protect, Advocate, and our first workshop (“Build”) will cover family building topics for LGBTQIA+ people, such as fertility and conception for queer and trans people, the foster to adopt process, and talking to kids about donor conception. Panelists and speakers will include:*Alice Ruby, Executive Director of The Sperm Bank of California*Nico Opper, maker of the documentary film “The F Word: A Foster-to-Adopt Story”*Rebecca Elowen, owner of Hearthstone Midwifery, Lactation & Craniosacral Services*Kayla Flores Tindall, family medicine physician and founding member of North Bay LGBTQI FamiliesAnd more!Register for this free virtual event at the link below to receive the Zoom information the day before the event (note that the event link will not be shared publicly).https://docs.google.com/…/1hqEhnHqVsiRQqYq4oUNOTLF…/edit
Email us at [email protected] with any questions, and we look forward to seeing you then!
Sonoma County LGBTQI Community Center efforts – 1972 to the present. We’ll be covering the Penngrove WomanCenter, River Queen Women’s Center, LEGACY/Pride Center – from 1972 to the present.
To register for the LGBTQI Timeline class please click on the appropriate link below. If you have not taken any classes through SRJC in the past year, you are considered a New Student.
How to get your vaccine if you’re still searchingA friend recently gave me an insight into how to better your chances of getting a shot soon. A greater supply of vaccine seems to be becoming available so hopefully more people are being notified by their provider that they can schedule their shots. In addition to signing up with your regular provider, you might consider signing up with several drugstores who offer vaccine shots. After signing up, you’ll likely find “no apppointments available” when you go to the site unless you search for them soon after midnight when they make more appointments available. (Hint, hint…)If you know of a senior who isn’t online and having trouble getting their shots, they can call a State Vaccine Hotline at 833/422-4255.If you need further assistance, I’ll try to help: Bill at 415/450-5339 or [email protected] How to Master Vaccine Appointment Confusions The Washington Post has created a guide to navigating the many ways the vaccine rollout can be approached. Five strategies to increase the chances of getting a free shot for yourself or someone you care about, click here. Sign up now to be informed of when you can be vaccinated. Marin County has a form online where you can sign up to be notified when vaccine is available for you. Since supplies of vaccine are limited, people 75 and over as well as healthcare workers and those in residential facilities are prioritized. As more becomes available, additional populations will become prioritized. Sign up for notification here. The best place to get Coronavirus updates and vaccine updates for Marinhere and here, respectively. California Covid Vaccine Update. The latest California-wide information on the vaccine rollout, safety and more:here. Free, pop-up Covid testing sites in seven cities around the county: Bolinas, Larkspur, Novato, San Anselmo, San Geronimo, San Rafael, and Sausalito. You can see a schedule for each site and read more here. A new allotment of Rental Assistance comes to Marin for those economically impacted by the pandemic. Read about it here and the new Eviction Moratoriumhere.
To join the Spahr Senior GroupMondays, 7 to 8 pm, &Thursdays, 12:30 t0 2 pm,click the purple button below the Butterfly Heart or here:
March 4Nancy Facilitates! What have you learned this past year?Particularly about yourself, but also about other people, about our LGBT community, about life, about the world? March 11People who influenced your life Who were your mentors and models? Who provided the space to become yourself? Who lifted you up when you were down? Sometimes it was our parents, sometimes a teacher or counselor, an aunt or uncle, a great friend. Possibly a professional in a career you followed, or a writer or simply someone who saw you for who you could be. Who helped make you you? Coming soon: Beyond the Binary: Gender and Pronouns II
Check-in Mondays7 to 8 pm We catch up with each other on how we’re doing and have unstructured conversations focused on listening and deepening community.
Thank you Wing, Debbie, Terry, Beth and Lolma for the Red Envelope Campaign! We’re deeply grateful to Wing and the Social Committee for this generous support of our senior program! And to all our donors! They – and you, the community – have raised over two thousand dollars to ensure the Spahr Senior Program and our new Friendly Visitor Program are sustained. The Social Committee has been consistently offering fun events to offset the boredom of the pandemic. They want to celebrate your birthday if you’ll let them know when it is. They offer a women’s coffee plus a number of times to gather on zoom over games and conversation. To sign up for their emails, click here. There’s a Birthday Celebration for everyone born in March on March 9, Scattegories on March 16, How the Zoom Are You One Year Later?on March 17 (St. Patrick’s!), and much more in the Social Committee’s March Calendar here.
You are invited to join with your community in watching people (and an animal!) offer their gifts to entertain you. By showtime, click the button below:
California Department of AgingThe CDA has a website that is packed with information and resources relevant to the lives of seniors in our state. From Covid-19 updates to more general care for age-related health issues, access to legal assistance to getting home-delivered meals to help with housing, you may well find answers to your questions by clicking: here.
Also in this email (below):Spahr has skilled therapists ready to work with seniors on a sliding-scale basis.Nutrition ResourcesBisexual Support zoom group forming through The Spahr Center.
Building Community in the Midst of Sheltering-in-PlaceSee old friends and make new ones! Join us!The Spahr Center’s LGBT Senior Discussion Groupscontinue everyMonday, 7 to 8 pm& Thursday, 12:30 to 2 pm on zoom
To Join Group by Video using Computer, Smart Phone or TabletJust click this button at the start time, 6:55 pm Mondays / 12:25 pm Thursdays:Join GroupAlways the same link! Try it, it’s easy!
To Join Group by Phone CallIf you don’t have internet connections or prefer joining by phone,call the following number at the start time,6:55 pm Mondays / 12:25 pm Thursdays:1-669-900-6833The Meeting id is 820 7368 6606#(no participant id required)The password, if requested, is 135296# If you want to be called into the group by phone, notify Bill Blackburn at 415/450-5339
Spahr’s skilled therapists are available to work with seniors on a sliding-scale basis. Write to[email protected]. A Bisexual Support Group is forming with The Spahr Center, facilitated by a therapist. Let Bill Blackburn know if you are interested. Whistlestop, renamed Vivalon, provides access to resources including rides for older adults. Please note: there is a 3-week registration process for the ride program so register now if you think you may need rides in the future. They also offer free classes on zoom including zumba, yoga, chair exercises, & ukulele! Click here. Adult and Aging Service’s Information and Assistance Line, providing information and referrals to the full range of services available to older adults, adults with disabilities and their family caregivers, has a new phone number and email address: 415/473-INFO (4636) 8:30 am to 4:30 pm weekdays[email protected]
The Spahr Center has opened its Food Pantryto seniors who need support in meeting their nutrition needs. We want to help! Items such as fresh meats, eggs and dairy, prepared meals, pasta, sauces, and canned goods are delivered weekly to people who sign up. Contact The Spahr Center for more information: [email protected] or 415/457.2487
Marin Center for Independent Living is offering various kinds of support to people with disabilities as well as older adults to prepare them for possible Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS).Click here: MarinCIL Has your employment or business been impacted by COVID-19? Check out these local resources…click here: WorkForce Alliance
Questions? Assistance? We have resources and volunteers for:grocery deliveryfood assistancehelp with technology issues such as using zoomproviding weekly comfort calls to check in on youtherapy with Spahr therapists on a sliding scale basisplus more!
Bill BlackburnSenior Program Coordinator[email protected]415/450-5339
The Spahr Center’s first Advocacy Day, held in 2020, was a powerful gathering of LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive residents of Marin and their allies with members of the Board of Supervisors. You may remember that many of the Supervisors asked us to visit them once The Spahr Center had completed its 5 year Strategic Plan. We will be returning to the Board of Supervisors with our newly released vision for the agency’s work moving forward. We will also bring renewed vigor to ensure that Marin County is a supportive and empowering place for all of its residents! See our Strategic Plan, titled Raising the Bar for Our Future, at www.thespahrcenter.org. Advocacy Day with the Board of Supervisors will take place on February 25th from 11-2, with an orientation on February 24th from 10-11. We are in the process of scheduling meetings with other key County officials. We are grateful to everyone who has signed up thus far, and want to remind you that there is still time to get involved! Note that all meetings will take place over Zoom, and we will send out further meeting details and preparatory information to all those who sign up!
Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at Food For Thought. Thank you so much for your continued support! At FFT, we’re spreading the love by providing nurturing food to our neighbors in need. Will you join us?
You’ve heard a lot from us about how food is medicine—that healthy food improves health and saves on health care expenses. But did you know that love is also medicine? This year, too many of our seriously ill Sonoma County neighbors are spending Valentine’s Day alone—and hungry. And because of COVID-19,demand for our services has more than doubled in the past year. People in our community need food, and they also need love.Support from our donors brings healing food+love tothousands of low-income Sonoma County residents living with COVID-19, HIV and other illnesses. To donate, click here.
February Wine Sale
Our generous friends at William Gordon Winery are hosting an amazing wine sale to benefit Food For Thought. For the entire month of February, 50% of the sales of their 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon ($45) and 2013 Petite Sirah ($35) will be donated to Food For Thought! Please call (707) 894-2447 or email [email protected] to place your order. Be sure to mention Food For Thought to receive this promotion. Wine purchases can be picked up at the winery or shipped for an additional fee.
Celebrating A Shared VisionA student organization at a high school based in Southern California recently contacted FFT. They requested that we share their essay celebrating our mission. We appreciate their support and applaud their efforts to educate future generations. At Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California, our founders created the Food for Thought Club in 2019 to provide a space for high school students to discuss plant-based lifestyles and sustainable eating habits. Our club, coincidentally titled, shares many goals and values with FFT, as we hold discussions and assemblies to convey the benefits of eating a healthy diet. Through teaching and advocating about the plant-based and healthy lifestyle, we strive towards a better future for our planet and ourselves.
In the Food for Thought Club, we understand the importance and potential that a healthy and sustainable meal can have on our health, so we were intrigued and inspired by FFT’s core philosophy “Food is Medicine” and its mission statement “fostering health and healing with food and compassion.” We celebrate FFT’s philosophy of healing people through nutrition because our central goal at the Food for Thought club is to save the Earth through a plant-based diet. Since members of our club are conscious of what we eat and where our food comes from, many of us pursue a vegetarian lifestyle. Looking towards the future, we hope our work provides our school community with a strong foundation for sustainable and healthy eating habits. As we approach adulthood, we have a responsibility to our Earth, our bodies and each other to spread awareness and prevent further damage. Not only can eating local, farm-fresh foods positively impact our health but it can save the planet at the same time. Written by Elia Min and Nina Turner
Sign Up for eScrip to Help FFT’s Clients!Do you shop for groceries at Fircrest, FoodMaxx, Lucky, Olivers, Sonoma Market, or Petaluma Market? Register your phone number or grocery rewards card online witheScrip.com and select Food For Thought as your charity of choice. A percentage of your purchases will be donated to FFT at no additional cost to you. Use FFT’s group number when you sign up: 500024945.
Chocolate Cherry SmoothieValentine’s Day often tempts us to indulge in sweet treats loaded with empty calories. This month FFT offers a delicious creamy smoothie recipe that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth without the guilt. Click here for the recipe and check out the surprising healthy secret ingredients.
DONATEFood For Thought’s mission is to foster health and healing with food and compassion. Food For Thought | (707) 887-1647 | [email protected] | FFTfoodbank.org