Covid 19 Community Resource List

We all need to do our part to keep our community safe from the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19).  

Here’s a list of resources for businesses, residents, kids and parents. We have included many fun ideas to keep kids and adults entertained while practicing safe social distancing.

If you have suggested links to add please email us at c19@Vecinosdesouthpasadena.org

Click on the icon to skip directly to that section.

Ways to be helpful

Help for Small Businesses

Parenting in the time of Corona

Entertainment

General Voter Info

Utilities

Grants & Aid to Families & Workers

Distance (Home) Learning

Music Events

Food, Groceries and Recipes

Learn, Visit, or Try Something New

Other Resources

Medical, Housing & City Services

Family Entertainment

Self-Care

Ways to Help

  • You can volunteer to grocery shop for someone in a high risk group (compromised immunity, senior citizen, single parent with children under 10, etc).  They have also formed a FB Group.
  • Here are some past Vecinos sponsors who are open (or open for take-out) support them by buying gift cards, or ordering take-out:
  • Donate to places people hit hard by Covid19:
    • Donate to Project 100:  100 Million to 100 Thousand Families.  While COVID-19 has been tough on everyone, it has been particularly disastrous for SNAP recipients, many of whom were already barely making ends meet. 86% of Propel Fresh EBT app users who work have lost significant income in the last few weeks.
    • Donate to the Restaurant Strong Fund to help restaurant workers impacted by the Covid-19 closures.  They plan to support restaurant workers by providing as many $1,000 grants to eligible grantees as possible.
    • Donate to the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, where:
      • 50% FOR DIRECT RELIEF TO INDIVIDUAL RESTAURANT WORKERS
      • 25% FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS SERVING RESTAURANT WORKERS IN CRISIS
      • 25% FOR ZERO-INTEREST LOANS FOR RESTAURANTS TO GET BACK UP AND RUNNING
    • Donate to the LA Regional Food Bank, they are working to meet the needs of those impacted by the Coronavirus, as well as individuals who typically need assistance.
  • Consider finally giving businesses you like a positive review on your favorite review website, here are some review websites to consider:  Yelp, Google, FourSquare, TripAdvisor, Facebook.
  • Do you have fruit trees that need picking? PACTL (The Pasadena/Altadena Coalition of Transformative Leaders) staff and volunteers would love to come and pick that fruit for the families they serve (including nearly 200 meals for children every morning).  Contact them to set up a time
  • Local places to donate food, kitchen staples, household items and other things:
    • Holy Family Catholic church is accepting dry goods for their food pantry, “Giving Bank”.  M-F  9- 3 p.m. Or in the bins in the vestibule at the Fremont entrance of the Church. (no clothing, furniture, etc.)
    • Door of Hope (houses homeless families)
    • Elizabeth House  (houses pregnant women)
    • Pasadena Union Station (feeds homeless)

Grants, Loans and Resources for Small Businesses

Grants and Aid to Families and Workers

  • Starting 5/12/21 Americans affected by the coronavirus pandemic who need assistance paying their broadband bills will be able to apply for a $50 a month subsidy from the government.  It’s available to low-income individuals who are at the poverty line or 135 percent above it, those who qualify for free and reduced school lunches, or people who’ve experienced substantial loss of income since Feb. 29, 2020. 
  • Restaurant workers can get info on applying for a direct financial help here, provided by Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation a 501(c)(3).
  • Affected workers can also apply for a $1,000 grant to Restaurant Strong Fund.
  • Unemployment insurance has been temporarily expanded to cover workers whose industries are facing financial hardship. If someone you know is completely or partially unemployed, here is how to apply.  Do not hesitate to call (310) 903-6354 or email Andrew@KathrynBarger.com for assistance or clarification on any programs.

Other Resources

  • Many don’t know that workers 55 and older can access 401(k) funds without penalty if they are laid off, fired or quit.  Per Investopedia The Age 55 Rule:  “If you become unemployed in the calendar year when you turn 55 (or after that), you can access the funds without having to pay the 10% penalty. No need to wait until age 59½. In fact, if you have a 401(k) at another employer you left long ago, you can access those funds as well.
  • Have corona related expenses, have a 401k?  Per the Montley Fool “if you’re facing significant economic hardship and can’t afford to pay your bills, you may choose to tap your retirement fund. Typically, when you withdraw your savings from your 401(k) or traditional IRA before age 59 1/2, you will have to pay a 10% penalty on the amount you withdraw. However, you can now withdraw up to $100,000 from your retirement account without paying the 10% penalty.”
  • Need to buy a mask?  There’s great guide on where to purchase on Clark.com

Utilities

  • SoCal California Gas has suspended service disconnections until further notice. This means no customer will have their natural gas turned off due to non-payment.  Additionally, your household income has recently changed, you may now qualify for 20% off your natural gas bill with CARE.
  • SCE Edison is suspending service disconnections for nonpayment and only continuing critical work needed to protect public safety and reduce the risk of wildfires.  Additionally, the offer these resources:
  • Spectrum: “In an effort to ensure Americans have necessary access to online resources, qualifying households with students or teachers can get 60 days of free access with a Spectrum Internet account. Available for households with teachers or students from kindergarten to college (Limited to new accounts who do not already have a Spectrum Internet subscription Free installation options available In addition, Spectrum WiFi hotspots will be open for public use.) Call 1-844-579-3743 to enroll.

Medical, Housing and City Services

  • Combating domestic violence, resource list with hotlines. 
  • Medical:
    • Medicare has temporarily expanded its coverage of telehealth services to respond to the current Public Health Emergency.
    • Blue Shield California is waiving applicable costs for screening and doctor-recommended testing for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), including copays, coinsurance, and deductibles. They will not require your doctor to obtain prior authorization for COVID-19 screening and testing.
  • Housing:
  • City Services:
    • What’s Open and What’s Closed – UPDATED MARCH 31
    • S.P.P.D. asks that we complete a crime reports online, if the crime is NOT an emergency, occurred within South Pasadena City limits, there are NO known suspects and it did NOT occur on a state freeway.  Online reports receive the same investigation as any report filed in person with a police officer. If the crime requires further investigation, an officer will contact you. 

 Parenting in the time of Corona

Distance (Home) Learning
  • SPUSD Distance Learning Resources Page
  • Teacher’s resources for traditional teachers, but she has some cool tech apps recommendations worth checking out.
  • Example daily schedules by grade.
  • In response to the COVID-19 epidemic, Age of Learning (out of Glendale) is offering its award-winning online educational products ABCMouse (toddlers- 2nd), Adventure Academy (3rd and up), and ReadingIQ (digital library) for use at home on a free basis. South Pas families request code. 
  • Maths:
    • Khan Academy math and more. 
    • TumbleMath Animated, talkng, picture books that connect literacy and math with  in depth lesson plans with fun activities that lets kids go at their own pace.  Use your South Pasadena library card to access.
    • Kuta, traditional and free math worksheets.
    • Mathigon.org, opposite of worksheets, beautiful and relational math per CommonSense.org: “Mathigon functions much the same as a classic math textbook in the content it covers, but it presents the materials in a new, engaging, and exciting way for students. “
    • iPractice Math (TK-12) Free worksheets and online math help by level and topic.
    • School Yourself (7th-12th) Free online lectures and explanations for Algebra I-Calculus.
    • Math Planet (7-12) Completely Free Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry Courses. Also has
    • ACT and SAT courses. Does not contain practice problems.
    • Algebra2Go (7-12) Full Courses in Pre-Algebra through Calculus 2 with practice problems and videos.(Put on by Saddleback Community College)
    • Math is Fun (TK-12) Free math resource for all levels, through Calculus.
    • Free Math Help (7-12) Math Help for Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and Calculus
  • Virtual field trips to amazing museums via Google Arts and Culture
  • Wide Open School is a free and curated collection of online learning experiences and activities for kids organized by grade and subject.
  • More virtual field trips list.
  • Latinx Rights in 1960s California two lessons for upper grades.
  • Facing History social science with an emphasis on social justice “We help students learn about hatred and bigotry so they can stop them from happening in the future.”
  • Mystery Science science lessons “To help educators during this time of coronavirus, we have pulled our most popular science lessons and are offering them for anyone to use for free. No account or login is needed.”
  • Free dolphin study guides, power points and activity sheets 
  • SEPUP, Science Education for Public Understanding
  • Population Education, with lessons in Math, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies
  • Positive Physics free for now
  • EverFi STEM offering 20 free courses for now.
  • Spanish children’s stories
  • JPL offers a list of activities to consider space and space travel. 
  • Art, art at home, art contests, museums and more, this list has it all.
 Family Entertainment
  • Watching:
    • Watch the first nationally distributed children’s series in the U.S. to feature an Alaska Native lead character!  Molly of Denali is a feisty and resourceful 10-year- Alaska Native girl who, along with her dog Suki and her friends Tooey and Trini have daily adventures in Alaska, from fishing to building snow forts to delivering a camera to friends on a volcano via dog sled. (free, youtube, or PBSKids)
    • Use this list to watch some quality YouTube for kids. 
    • Daily videos from Marbles Kids Museum with “daily doses of play in a new digital way! For D-I-Y creative play and playful parenting tips” 
  • Reading:
    • A teacher has put together this library of race and BLM-related books, read aloud on youtube (some are even in Spanish).
    • Join icon Julie Andrews for story time! Julie and her daughter, invite you into their library to read their favorite children’s books. Every story comes to life with sound, music and activities. Authors, kids and other special guests chime in, too! It’s a show that will inspire lively conversations and a lifelong love of reading.  First episode will drop 4/19.
    • Amazon is offering free audio book streaming for kids.  “Kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids.  All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet.  Explore the collection, select a title and start listening.”
    • Use your South Pasadena library card to access e-books and e-audiobooks from TumbleBooks, and TeenBookCloud (Username: tumble2020; email  library@southpasadenaca.gov for the pw)
    • Already an Amazon Prime member?  Use it to read books on Prime for kids.
    • Join the South Pasadena Public Library Reading Challenges (4/6-5/31), available for babies – adults!  
    • Have a celebrity read a a children’s book to your kids on Storyline Online, or search #savewithstories, or even have an astronaut read aloud on Story Time from Space.
  • Outdoors:
    • Go on a bear “hunt”.  Many families in South Pasadena have made a teddy-bear “hunt”.  Take yourself and kids and see how many teddy bears you can find!  
    • Go in search of a GeoCache  
    • Go on an outdoor scavenger hunt for these items.
    • Play with a Frisbee, catch a baseball, throw a football with your household members (only).
    • Draw and play hop-scotch on the sidewalk with the added benefit of entertainment as passersby play too.
  • If you and your kids are not familiar with the podcast Wow in the World, all we can say is you’ll thank us later. It’s all about science and told in a very entertainint and engaging way, hosted by Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz and has the Looney Tunes quality where it’s even entertaining to adults. 
  • Find the hidden pictures, silly jokes and more at Highlights Kids.  
  • Karaoke with your friends with this mobile app, or simply embarrass yourself in front of your kids with some youtube karaoke.
  • Free family-friendly, print-at-home version of Cards Against Humanity.
  • Play “restaurant” with the kids.  Either mom and dad can be the restaurateurs, like these folk or, for families with older kids, maybe let the kids design a menu, take orders, prep one of these simple dishes and voilà, dinner is served! (recipe ideas)
  • Build a Rube Goldberg machine.
  • Build with Legos with these free step-by-step instructions.

Voter Info

With physical distancing being the standard for now and no end in sight, we want to make sure you have these useful links handy. 

 

Music

  • SymphonyCast, is a two-hour weekly radio program featuring a full-length concert by a major symphony. Material is drawn from Europe’s premier symphony orchestras, along with U.S. orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra
  • Live or other Calendared Events:
    • Daily: Go to a virtual concert.
    • 4/17 – 4/19: Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber is calling all musical lovers! Starting Friday April 10, he’ll be releasing a full-length, smash-hit musical once a week for you to watch for free!  It will be available for 48 hours, so you can tune in whenever you like over the weekend! First up, it’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, this weeks it’s Phantom of the Opera!
    • 4/10: Join Hamilton cast members for a #HamAtHome singalong of the entire Original Broadway Cast Album on Friday, April 10th. Get those vocal cords warmed up – downbeat’s at 8 PM sharp. 🎤 The sing-along will be streamed live on YouTube here

Entertainment

  • Watching:
    • Stream some of these quality Latinx flix:  The Latino List on HBO/Amazon, Inocente or Humano both on iTunes. 
    • Films for Action covers an impressive collection of documentaries, short films, and videos that can be watched for free.
    • Use your library card to stream up to 5 films per month on Kanopy.  They have a collection of 30,000 titles including independent, foreign language, classic, documentary, and educational films.  Old library cards starting with the PSPA prefix will not work, email to update to the newer library card.
    • Stream the Ann Arbor Film Festival films for free.
    • Watch 15 Broadway Plays and Musicals  from home.
    • Curiosity Stream is offering $12.99 / year memberships for a limited time.  They offer short 20 minute documentaries in a wide range of subjects.  
  • Reading:
    • Join us for a our Virtual Vecinos Book Club!  Hosted by our very own Adrian Acevedo.  
    • Already an Amazon Prime member?  Don’t forget, Prime includes a collection of books and films.
  • Listening: You can can stream any of the podcasts below on any web browser, but we highly recommend (free) Pocket Cast app for your phone for greater playback control (like skip forward and skip back, or save your place if you don’t finish in one listening, or play at 1.5 times speed) and to “subscribe” to future episodes:
    • From The Daily Podcast: “The story of what happened when federal agents showed up in a small town that had overwhelmingly voted for President Trump, and his campaign rhetoric became a reality.”
    • Another very interesting episode from The Daily where a writer shares her story as an Asian-American dealing with  personal hostile verbal attack from a stranger.
    • Our favorite podcast of all time has to be 99% Invisible.  Matt from BelloCollective describes their two-part episode Church Sanctuary this way “The episodes explore the efforts of [the Presbyterian] church and of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to shut down their work to protect refugees. If you’ve ever struggled to explain or understand the concept of a “sanctuary city” or you’re just interested in the history of the movement, this worth a listen.”
    • Also from 99% Invisible, learn about the Olympic Mexican Miracle 
    • The grand-daddy of radio storytelling though is This American Life.  In January 2018, they did an episode touching on immigration and the Mexican border in this episode: I Thought It Would Be Easier.  But that wasn’t the first time they touched on the subject, in October of 2000 they did an show on a “1996 immigration law that the Immigration Service itself says is unfair. Most of the law’s original sponsors in Congress now say they went too far, and that they were too harsh when they passed the law. And yet most of the law’s key provisions still stand unchanged.”
    • Listen to Devan Sandiford’s seven minute story on The Moth talking to his son about living in America with brown skin.
    • Newer to the podcasting scene is Gimlet Media.  In their show Science vs.  They explored immigration questions like are immigrants taking American jobs? Are Immigrants driving down wages? Are immigrants taking more from the government than they give? Do immigrants dive up the crime rate?
    • Finally, take a deep dive into this fourteen-part audio documentary series from  Scene on Radio where they explore these questions: Where did the notion of “whiteness” come from? What does it mean? What is whiteness for?
Learn, Visit or Try Something New
  • Learn:
    • Audit courses for free at Coursera, an online platform offering massive open online courses (MOOCs) by universities and other organizations.
    • The Great Courses offers college-level courses it produces.  They’re offering reduced prices, or you can access some courses via Kanopy  (see Kanopy above) 
    • Master Class has lots to offer from “the best in the word” and right now they are offering two memberships for the price of one.
    • Learn Java Script on Khan Academy, or coding for kids on code.org or visual programming on scratch.com 
    • Learn to play the drums like Phil Collins. No drums?  No problem! 
    • Learn a second language without Duolingo, with one of these 10 alternatives.
    • Learn to draw with daily lessons from children’s book author Mo Willems, or just watch Bob Ross do it! 
    • 8 Ivy League Colleges are collectively offering 450 courses for free!
    • Finally, learn to solve the darn Rubik’s Cube!
  • Visit:
    • Get some environmental education!  If you’re not a nature lover yet, we bet you will be after you virtually visit the plethora of botanical gardens, flower gardens and national parks listed here. 
    • Visit museums like Museo Frida Kahlo and others from your computer.
    • Visit a national park on Google Earth.
    • Can’t get enough?  Here’s a list of over two dozen places to visit virtually, recommended by some amigos.
    • Get together with a friend over this mobile app for a karaoke duet.
    • Visit outer space, thanks to NASA making their media library accessible and free.
    • Do you like optical illusions?  Take a look at some of these fun optical “tricks” from the The Illusions Index website.
  • Try:

Food, Groceries and Recipes

  • Bob’s Big Boy In Burbank Brings Back Car Hop Service!  
  • First of all, feeling guilty about stress-baking?  Well don’t!
  • 15 Essential Tamales in Los Angeles, Explore the tamales of Latin America by Bill Esparza  12/9/19 (call ahead and maker sure they’re open for takeout).
  • Don’t go to the store for just a single item, rather for a week or two of shopping.  Missing an Ingredient? Here’s What You Can Use Instead from the New York Times.
  • Grocery Shopping Places:
    • Looking to score some flour, yeast, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, bread, garlic, humus, brie, bacon, cookies, paper towels, toilet paper or latex gloves super locally and super quickly?  Head to The Munch Company Sandwich shop on Mission St.!  Yup, they have all that as well as the usual.   Order online or by phone.  Mama’s Brick Oven is also selling bags of bread and AP flour as well as yeast, they also have beer to go (32oz for $14 with a FREE Mamma’s growler)! 
    • A Guide to LA Restaurant Wholesalers Now Selling to the Public Big cuts of beef, boxes of produce, and even fresh seafood directly from restaurant purveyors!
    • Are you a senior, a single parent with kids under age 10,  have special needs, or other circumstances that make it particularly more dangerous for you go to out at all?  A group of local South Pasadena volunteers will happily grocery shop for you.   
    • Fresco Community Market is offering  email (or phone) ordering with parking-lot direct-to-your-trunk-delivery of groceries for seniors daily from 6 a.m. – 12 p.m.  Just send them your shopping list (and your phone no, so they can call you when it’s ready) and they’ll call you when your order is ready.
    • If you just need milk or small “convenience items,” don’t forget all those small mom-n-pop drive-up stores, like Alta Dena Dairy on Washington in Altadena, but there are others.
    • Want to know if your Trader Joe’s is open or closed for cleaning check HERE.
    • Our own farmers’ market remains open produce and take out for prepared foods, but if you can’t wait until Thursday for your veggies, visit this site for a list of other nearby farmers’ markets. 
  • Groceries for seniors and those in need:
    • South Pasadena Senior Center is offering meal deliveries for seniors over at 65 for $2.75.  Here is the April menu, for more info visit this website.
    • Search for free groceries, food pantries, hot meals, senior meals and Meals on Wheels by zipcode, thanks to L.A. County’s 211 website.
  • Grocery Shopping General Articles:
    • The New Rules of Grocery Shopping Under Quarantine, Sunset Magazine March 31, 2020
    • How to Safely Grocery Shop During Coronavirus 
  • Recipes:
  • In order to support our families in need, as well as all children from our SPUSD community, SPUSD  will continue to provide breakfast and lunch free of charge beginning Monday, April 6, 2020.  However, please note:
    • “Closed Enrollment” meal service site, means families must attend SPUSD to be eligible, eligibility may be confirmed with student I.D. number, for example.
    • SPUSD children must be present in order for meals to be provided.  
    • All meal components offered must be taken.
    • Meals must be consumed off school premises.
    • Families choosing the drive-through service must remain in the vehicle.
  • From the Guardian, a great article on “The Meditations, by a Roman emperor who died in a plague named after him, has much to say about how to face fear, pain, anxiety and loss
  • L.A. County Resources:
    • Mental Health resources are available to provide compassion and support during this difficult time. Call the hotline at 800-854-7771 or text LA to 741741
    • “Coping With Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks” English or Spanish pamphlet
  • Useful Apps (most available in Spanish as well as English):
    • Headspace: Access guided meditations and mindfulness activities
    • Happify:  Play games to reduce stress, overcome negative thoughts, and build resilience
    • MindShift: Access resources to help manage anxiety
    • Calm:  Pick your goals to get started: better sleep, increase happiness, increase gratitude, reduce stress, or learn to meditate
  • Useful Podcast episodes:
    • While social distancing is the responsible thing to do to slow the spread of disease, it also heightens the emotional challenges we face during these scary and uncertain times.  Listen to this special episode of Choiceology’s where they “look to the science of happiness to see how we might mitigate the adverse impacts to our mental health and well-being—and maybe even cultivate good new habits that can help us when the crisis is over.”
    • The Savvy Psychologist has an episode on how Sleep Hygiene Doesn’t Cure Insomnia -Do This Instead (which is EXCELLENT).  Now they’ve done a specific episode on the How to Sleep During the Quarantine.