San Francisco, CA. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mission Education Projects Inc. (MEPI) is still trying to provide its usual academic support and enrichment activities. This nonprofit, based in the Mission district is pictured above. MEPI provides tutoring, homework help, and other educational activities to students and their families in the community. Although the organization was unable to host onsite programming after the shelter in place order began, the staff continued to communicate with students and families through methods including Facetime, phone calls, emails, and texts. MEPI also began group Zoom sessions with students focused on homework and tutoring.
Lana Alviar, the Program Director at MEPI, discribes the daily Zoom sessions as a time where, “everyone – students, parents and other family members (the toddlers from the family) along with staff get together” and can “chat, hang out, have dance battles, play games, and share our feelings and fears about COVID-19.”
The nonprofit has also adjusted its annual End of School Year celebration. This year the 2020 End of School Year celebration took place as a Zoom party. Lana describes the event: “Prior to the party students received a goody bag with party favors and snacks for the party. We acknowledged our graduates from Kindergarten, 5th grade, and 8th grade who each received a cap and tassel, a class of 2020 sash, and a 2020 graduation medal. Students, parents, guests, and staff all joined in to honor our graduates. Our celebration included presentations, songs, riddles, and goody bags and ended with everyone sharing what they were grateful for.”
Kindergarten grad books for the End of School Year Party.
For MEPI’s summer program, the students received arts and crafts kits which included everything needed to complete the projects. Lana notes how “These projects are educational, fun, and stress relieving.”
During the pandemic, Mission Education Projects Inc. is helping students and families with supplies as well. Lana reports how during one of their Zoom sessions she asked students what they needed and was “surprised by the simple request they had – they needed paper, pencils, crayons, markers – things they could use to make drawings or write stories on as well as make origami and paper airplanes.” With the help of some friends, Lana was able to gather the requested supplies and drop them off to the families. A picture of staff packing up the supplies is pictured below. “We were also able to get food boxes dropped off to the families which included fruits, vegetables, eggs, chicken, and pasta.”
MEPI staff members pack supplies for kids and their families.
Lana speaks on how despite the difficulties COVID-19 has brought, the rewards of having a smaller program are shining through. All of MEPI’s Junior staff are former students themselves. “These students have grown up together and are very familiar with each other and with the staff” (Lana Alviar). Lana mentions how one of the best parts of the day is the end of day Zoom sessions with staff and students in which they’re able to check-in, talk about what they’re working on, and just hang out. “We have always been close with our students and their parents, but the COVID-19 pandemic has strengthened those relationships and brought us even closer and made us stronger as a group.”
From Mission Education Projects Inc:
If you’d like to support to Mission Education Projects Inc. the nonprofit could always use monetary donations. The nonprofits’ monetary donations have dwindled and MEPI is especially in need due to unexpected costs related to COVID-19.
“The mission of Mission Education Projects, Inc. is to provide at-risk youth & their families an equal opportunity to access a quality cultural sensitive & holistic educational and quality of the life experience involving every aspect of the child’s world of safe and empowering environment.”
San Francisco, CA. Sheltering at home is the most effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19, but for 1,100 homeless youth in San Francisco, it is impossible. On April 29, Larkin Street opened a new Shelter In Place Hotel in collaboration with the City of San Francisco. Site #1, as it is known, can house up to 55 people and is available to homeless youth aged 18 to 30. This is one of many solutions Larkin Street is using to provide shelter for SF youth, and in doing so, fight the spread of COVID-19.
Larkin Street Youth Services is a non-profit that provides housing, health services, and educational and employment support to homeless youth. The organization has found ways to provide essential services despite temporary facility closures. Larkin’s two drop-in sites, where homeless people can access free meals, hygiene supplies, bathrooms, and other services, are continuing to operate under social distancing guidelines. However, the nonprofit’s traditional housing services have been scaled back in light of San Francisco’s social distancing guidelines. The Lark-Inn Shelter for 18 to 24-year-olds is temporarily closed and the “Diamond Shelters”, homes for homeless minors, are operating at a reduced capacity.
A health worker and patient smiling at a Larkin Street clinic.
Larkin Street has been able to put more people into its Rapid Rehousing rental subsidy program as the number of available apartments grows and the price of rentals in the City falls. Rapid Rehousing is part of Rising Up, a massive effort started by San Francisco Mayor London Breed in October 2018 to reduce homelessness for youth age 18 to 24 by 50% by 2023. The ambitious Rising Up initiative combines city and non-profit resources to provide housing, education, employment, and health services to San Francisco’s homeless youth. The program’s goal is to get 950 youth off of the streets by December 2022.
Black Lives Matter protesters posing in front of Larkin Street building. (Photo from Larkin Street Youth Services Facebook)
Furthermore, a “Safe Sleeping Village” is now available for homeless people living out of tents in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. The “village” has room for 37 tents, each spot marked on the pavement a safe distance from neighboring tents. Residents have access to sanitation facilities, food, water, and health services. This initiative is in part a response to the high number of unsanctioned encampments that have been popping up in public areas since the statewide shelter-in-place order.
Larkin Street has adapted its educational and career-building services as well. Although Larkin Street Academy counselors can no longer meet in classroom settings, they are still meeting individually with youth. In light of the economic downturn, Larkin Street is increasing their support of people looking for employment and accessing government stimulus checks.
From Larkin Street Youth Services:
Since 1984, Larkin Street Youth Services has given more than 75,000 young people a safe place to rebuild their lives. We provide housing, education and employment training, and health and wellness supports to help these young people get off the street for good.
San Francisco, CA. Even though Urban Sprouts heavily relies on in-person gatherings, this non-profit is still finding ways to serve the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nonprofit operates five community gardens in the San Francisco area with a focus on garden-based education, job readiness, cooking, and nutrition.
In response to how Urban Sprouts is fairing during the pandemic, Director of Operations, Marissa Alexander, states “We have had to make major modifications, but we find ourselves to be a vital resource and space.”
Urban Sprouts is planning to grow more food this season, with a goal of 400 pounds of produce. Marissa explains the reason behind this influx in produce: “When Shelter in Place started in March, we immediately recognized the need to get fresh produce into the hands of our communities who may have lost jobs or income, have more people home to cook for, or who may be unable or unsafe to go to a grocery store.”
Sprouting Leaders member displays harvested produce.
As food producers, Urban Sprouts was able to continue working and growing in their gardens. This was done with strict health and safety protocols in place which abided with the City orders and health directives. While complying with these protocols, Marissa notes that “Thanks to our proactive staff, early on, we were able to connect with other community organizations and gardens to partner on food distribution to those in need in SF.”
Urban Sprouts has also been able to modify and continue certain programs. Marissa references how “In March, we were running Sprout Out! which is our sort of flagship after-school job-training program for San Francisco high-school students, which is very hands-on. When Shelter in Place started, we followed the lead of SFUSD and started distance learning and the participants were all able to complete the program.”
Here’s a video about the program:
The Cooking & Nutrition program was also altered due to shelter in place, allowing for positive developments. “The shelter in place has really pushed us to develop more virtual tools that can hopefully improve our work even after shelter in place is lifted. Our cooking & nutrition program manager, Violeta Sandoval started to make amazing cooking videos to share with our online community because she missed her cooking classes! Her son, Alejandro even joined in to make kid-friendly, Spanish language recipe videos.”
Sprouting Leaders program members attend a Farmer’s Market to sell produce.
Urban Sprouts Sprouting Leaders program was also able to continue in a modified, socially distanced manner with permission from the City and funders. This allowed the organization to bring on 12 young adult cohorts in a six-week paid summer internship program.
Marissa and the rest of the team at Urban Sprouts are also investing in the infrastructure of their sites. They are planning to make additions such as more hand washing stations, solar-powered hot water, additional shade structures, wind barriers, and solar lighting. Marissa believes this is preparing Urban Sprouts “to be even more of an outdoor asset, especially as schools explore outdoor learning.”
Currently, due to shelter in place, Urban Sprouts is unable to host events, fundraisers, and classes which would typically help them earn income. Marissa comments that “Now more than ever, individual donors are so, so important to non-profits like us. These donations help us keep going and make sure we are able to respond to the ever-changing circumstances under which we operate.”
Sprouting Leaders member cooks in Urban Sprouts outdoor, off the grid, solar-powered kitchen.
The organization could also use volunteers to work on digital projects around data management, marketing, and graphic design. In regards to how readers can help, Marissa states: “If anyone lives in San Francisco and wants to help with garden maintenance, we do need help with basic garden care! It is not the most exciting work, but it feels good to be outside and getting your hands dirty.”
From Urban Sprouts:
“We build supportive learning communities in English, Spanish, and Cantonese, for people of all ages, genders, and races. We work with communities who have been systematically denied access to resources to remove barriers and create pathways to health and economic equity through garden-based education and experiences”
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