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ALACHUA COUNTY – Local communities are feeling the impacts of COVID-19 in a number of ways beyond health and safety aspects. Due to social distancing, loss of jobs, less commerce and transportation, economies locally and throughout the world are facing a serious downfall.

This means that governments have had to spend much of their resources to help support both individual and businesses, which have been affected by various measures mandated by federal, state, and local authorities. One of the side effects of weakened economies, less commerce and inability to transport or import, is its effect on the supply chain, especially food.

Food organizations such as Feeding America, Bread For the World and Farm Share are working to distribute as much as they can by partnering with local community volunteers and churches. On April 29 at the Easton Sports Complex in Newberry, a long line of cars slowly wound its way past a series of tables and pallets containing bags of food. Each table had been set up with different food products at each station. As the cars slowly moved down the line, volunteers would load the open trunks with bags of food. Respecting the rules on social distancing and health cautions, each volunteer wore a mask and gloves, putting the food bags in the trunks so there was no physical interaction. Between 9 a.m. and noon, over 500 cars went through the line.

While the U.S. is the wealthiest country in the world with over $105,990 billion in wealth, there is a shockingly high number of citizens that have trouble getting enough food. In 2017, 40 million people struggled with hunger in the United States and today 45 million Americans rely on stipends from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy food each month, according to the USDA. Two-thirds of these benefits go to households with children.

When schools closed due to COVID-19, it temporarily cut off the meals, but educators nationwide and the Federal government have organized programs to continue the meals.

The majority of the people on food assistance programs have jobs, but many are in low income and service industries where a single paycheck makes a difference in covering the bills and food. Now, many of these jobs are gone and the families are left with no income.

Farm Share was established in 1991 by Patricia Robbins, owner of a commercial seafood company. When she retired in 1991, she founded the Farm Share program with the goal of recovering wasted produce and supplying it to various organizations and directly to the public to help alleviate hunger caused by poverty for lower income families and the elderly.

The concept was based on the fact that up to 50 percent of the produce raised on farms is thrown away. Typically stores want to provide the best product to their customers and accept only produce that is cosmetically perfect. Misshapen or blemished produce is rejected, leaving the farmer little choice but to dispose of it or use it as fertilizer for their fields.

Robbins found a unique solution by working directly with the farmers to get this wasted food to people in need. This simple but innovative idea has now grown into an organization that feeds millions of people and distributes more than 88 million pounds of healthy and nutritious food annually. Farm Share also works with the federal government to distribute packaged goods and gets donations and funds from the general public

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on Farm Share's distribution. Most of the food distribution events have doubled in people needing assistance. Farm Share has four distribution warehouses in Florida. The Jacksonville center covers much of North Florida and is doing about eight events a week in addition to doing 1,800 drop-offs to senior living facilities.

This Saturday, May 9, they will hold two distribution events in Northeast Florida for people in need. Farm Share will be at the High Springs Civic Center from 9 a.m. -11 a.m. and at the Lake Butler Community Center from 9 a.m. -11 a.m.

For other dates and locations of events or to contact the organization to volunteer time or donate funds, go to www.farmshare.org.

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alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA County – The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people are living their lives. It has changed the way people work, with many now working from home—or suddenly unemployed. It has changed the way people interact and socialize, with most states issuing “stay at home” orders and social distancing rules. Entertainment time has changed, no more live sports events, music, in-theater movies or socializing in bars or restaurants, no more gatherings of more than 10 people. People have isolated themselves and families to try and control the spread of the virus. This has also affected family life and how children are educated.

On March 17, Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran announced that schools will be closed through April 15 due to COVID-19. That date was then extended to May 1, which means the new target date for reopening schools is Monday, May 4.

Florida education officials called for each school district to close its doors and move classes online. Despite the recommendation from some officials, Florida Governor DeSantis said it’s possible each county might return to school at different times. This change and uncertainty about reopening has uprooted the traditional education system, putting additional burdens on everyone. Teachers have transitioned their lessons to a remote learning platform, which is available to parents online or through paper packets. If families do not have a computer or device to access online, Alachua County schools are loaning some equipment to help families. If they do not have an internet connection, they can request written lesson packages by contacting the school or teacher. The schools also send out emails to keep parents aware of what is going on.

Healthy Eating Important in Learning Process

Parents are becoming more involved in the teaching process, home schooling their children with the teacher’s guidance. They now have to take command of making sure their children complete the assigned work. For working parents this puts an additional strain both in finding the time to watch over their child's education, and in many cases, if they were working during what was school hours, they could depend on their children getting fed at least one meal during the day. For lower income families, this was often a necessity. Now with high unemployment, many more families have found their income shrink.

Across the nation, schools serve a bigger purpose than just education in children's health and development. Food is important to a child's health and ability to focus. Since children spend an average of six to seven hours of their day in school, lunches need to be provided and every school has a kitchen staff to feed the children. In addition, 38 million Americans live below the poverty level and an equal amount are barely above that, living paycheck to paycheck, and for these children and their parents, school lunch programs are vital.

Federal and state governments have programs to provide funding and resources to schools throughout the nation. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is one of several federal resources. The NSLP provided low-cost or free lunches to 29.7 million children daily at a cost of $13.8 billion last year. The Farm to School program matches local farms to school to provide fresh produce for healthier meals to students. Other grants and resources are also available to help schools meet the demand to feed over 56 million school children.

School Meal Distribution Sites

In Alachua County, 18 percent of the population is under 18 and the poverty level is 19.8 percent, which puts a heavier burden on the 47 schools in the district that participate in the Community Eligibility program to provide student meals. When COVID-19 closed all the schools, all school age children lost those lunchtime meals served onsite at the schools. Knowing how important these food programs were to the students, school districts throughout the country scrambled to find ways to get the food to the students. Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) devised several methods to continue to provide meals in a safe way while following the COVID-19 restrictions. The USDA waived the requirement that all meals had to be eaten on campus and the ACPS set up drive-through meal deliveries for families in need to get food for their children. They also expanded the meal program to include breakfast for the following day.

Children 18 years old and younger can receive free breakfast and lunch from ACPS Food and Nutrition Services Department. The meals will continue to be distributed the entire time while the schools are closed. The ACPS has set up 76 distribution sites throughout Alachua County. That includes schools, community sites and parks, and even stops along school bus routes that serve a large proportion of high-needs students.

Mondays through Fridays, children receive a cold, grab-and-go lunch for that day and breakfast for the following morning. The cold lunches consist of a sandwich, fruit, crackers, cheese stick and a drink. According to Caron Rowe, a Food Service Specialist with the school board, they decided on cold lunches for safety and preparation ability. “We received a lot of messages from concerned parents about the safety and possible transmission of the virus. By using a drive-up method, they simply drive up, stay in their cars and receive the whole meal in a plastic bag.”

Staff wear face masks and gloves at all times. The prepackaged food allows for less contact with the food and also makes it easier for food service staff to prepare and assemble. “We are used to preparing cooked meals in an onsite kitchen, so this was a learning experience as we went,” said Rowe. “Currently we are serving over 20,000 meals per day at the various locations.” Although much of the food is prepackaged for safety reasons, they are also working with some of the farms in the Farm to School program as well. “We have purchased 3,100 pounds of fresh blueberries from the Clay Ranch Berry Farm that will be added to all the meals for the next three weeks,” said Rowe. Although the schools are currently closed until May 1, that date could be extended. “If it gets extended, we will still be here for the kids as long as we get the supplies. Our staff cares about the students and have big hearts,” Rowe said. “We will be here until life returns to normal and the kids are back in school”

At the 32 schools and eight community sites, meals will be distributed from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Friday. At the 15 bus drop-off locations, times will vary depending on the stop and route. Families are urged to check the schedule for bus stop distribution. The district has also received permission from the federal government to provide meals to students to eat over the weekends. Those meals will be given out to students on Fridays. The meals are for all children from 0 to 18. Children do not have to be enrolled at a particular school or program to receive meals. They also do not have to be eligible for free and reduced-price meals during the regular school year to take advantage of the program. If they receive 24-hour notice, the school may be able to provide formula for babies.

More information about the program can be found at https://www.yourchoicefresh.com/, which also contains a list of all available pick up sites and times. Parents can also call their child's school for details and to arrange to get lesson packages.

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alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA COUNTY – On March 16, 2020, President Donald Trump recognized the growing threat of the Corona virus that had grown from a single case on Jan. 20 to more than 4,500 cases and at least 88 dead in less than five weeks. Many of the countries that were already battling the pandemic had found that social distancing and limiting events with crowds had proven an effective way to slow the rapid spread of the disease.

The president acknowledged that the Center for Disease Control and members of the others health organizations were warning of the continued spread and the need to slow its pace. They recommended closing non-essential businesses, limiting events initially to 50 and eventually to10 people and staying in home isolation except for essential trips.

At that time, Trump said that Americans could be hunkered down and practicing social distancing at least until July or August. He added that the country "may be" headed into recession as businesses are forced to lay off millions of workers, and the outbreak could last into the summer, perhaps as long as August. But both the seriousness of the pandemic and the effect on the economy were underestimated.

It was a necessary step for the government to take but would have big consequences both economically and politically. Exactly one month later on April 16, Trump announced he thought it was time to reopen the country, despite cautions from medical experts, and announced a set of guidelines. The 18 page “Opening Up America Again” identified the circumstances that states should achieve before beginning the three-stage reopening process. The president also suggested a date for opening in 14 days, on May 1-4.

“We must have a working economy. And we want to get it back. Very, very quickly. And that’s what’s going to happen,” Trump said at a White House press briefing after announcing the new guidance. As many as 29 states “will be able to open relatively soon,” Trump said later in the briefing. “We have a lot of states that, through location, through luck and also through a lot of talent ... are in a very good position.”

Federal Reopening Guidelines

The guidelines state that states could consider a three-stage reopening after they “had 14 days of a downward trajectory of cases,” but left it open that they could consider all influenza-like symptoms instead of just COVID-19 cases. It also required a “downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period (flat or increasing volume of tests) and a robust testing program in place for at-risk healthcare workers, including emerging antibody testing.”

Testing requirements did not include increased general public testing, which, according to medical experts, needs to be much broader than is currently available.

Hospitals also have complained that they have not received enough tests. Currently, testing is limited to people showing symptoms. There are individuals who are asymptomatic without symptoms who can carry and spread the virus, so this type of testing does not identify everyone who is infected and can spread it. It also limits the numbers of population tested, thereby decreasing the figures on actual infections.

The White house also made these guidelines not mandatory and left it up to state governors to decide when their state met the criteria to start Phase 1. So far, no state has met the 14-day downward trajectory in cases, but 29 states are opening to varied degrees. Part of the rush is due to trying to restart the economy, both nationally and locally, and get people back to work. Another aspect is political. For many governors, some citizens are tired of restrictions and want out. There have been protests in several states and some elected officials are worried it could affect the upcoming elections.

State Actions

Some states like Georgia are going full out, opening a variety of close contact businesses such as hair salons and bowling alleys and allowing group activities that were not recommended until Phase 2. Others are more cautious and extending their “stay at home” orders for another two weeks.

In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis is supporting the reopening timeline while also trying to create a measured approach to reopening. He is trying to create a statewide policy but is determining openings based on local conditions and allowing county governments to determine when conditions are right. While this has created some confusion on what rules apply and who is in charge, it also allows more flexibility and perhaps less culpability to the state government.

Currently, the governor has approved retail businesses and restaurant to reopen as long as they use either outside facilities or only allow 25-percent capacity in interior settings. All citizens are required to wear face masks in situations where they will interact in indoor environments, but can remove masks in restaurants to eat. State and county parks are open, but social distance requirements of six feet still apply. Elective surgeries can resume. Bars and nightclubs are still closed and events over 10 people are still limited, although DeSantis made an exception for religious services. He has also reopened all beaches and hotels. Some counties with high levels of COVID-19 were not included in the governor’s reopening.

The “Stay at Home” order Governor DeSantis issued has been in effect for less than a month and was created after several counties, including Alachua County, initiated their own and maintained lower infection rates. While DeSantis has claimed, somewhat correctly, that Florida's numbers have been lower than expected due to the state's county by county approach, only two-percent of the population has been tested and there have been questions over how the data is recorded. State records initially did not include anyone who was not an official state resident, which discounted any seasonal residents. Last week, the Florida Department of Health asked the Florida Medical Examiners Commission, which sets minimum and uniform standards for statewide medical examiner services, to stop releasing its own comprehensive list of COVID-19 deaths. The medical examiners' death tally was 10 percent higher than that of the Florida Health Department,

Public Cooperation is Vital

Regardless of requirements mandated nationally, statewide, or locally, the effect of these measures is reduced or rendered useless dependent on whether the public follows them. Partial populations following guidelines is ineffective if others do not.

Some individuals believe they are immune or protected, that restrictions are an attack on their personal liberties, and are pushing to have all restrictions lifted regardless of scientific information available. Numerous conspiracy theories have surfaced and have influenced opinions without consideration of facts. An important consideration with spreading COVID-19 is not simply whether a person will get seriously ill, but the possibility of others being affected because of people disregarding mandated and recommended measures. If people cooperate and work together for the safety of all, the reopening can work. But if it is dismissed by some or rushed too early, it can cause a stronger outbreak and undo the progress already made.

This past weekend, two days before the new rules went into effect, the boat launch on US 27 on the Santa Fe River was so crowded that cars were parked in the woods and on the shoulder of the road, with the vehicles packed together. While some people seemed to maintain the distance rule, others gathered in larger groups and no one was wearing masks. It appeared that no one cared.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a situation that has not been faced in over six generations. Whether the time to reopen is premature or accurate will be determined in the next few weeks. The chance of success will be based on the decisions of leaders and on the willingness of citizens to cooperate.

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alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA – In these times of stay-at-home orders where contact between people is limited, the City of Alachua is trying to make sure local residents know that city officials and staff are available and listening, even with the offices closed to the public.

City activities and meeting have been scaled back with a concentration on only activities and legislation that is either time sensitive or essential to the needs of the city and community.

According to City of Alachua Public Information Officer Mike DaRoza, the City wants the public to be aware they can still communicate and participate in the City's business and that community involvement is still a priority.

One of the ways that community involvement has been affected is citizen involvement in meetings held by the City Commission, Planning and Zoning Board and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board. To be in compliance with requirements limiting crowds to 10 or fewer, the City is asking people to use online connections to add comments or input to these meetings.

The agenda for each meeting is listed on the City website at www.cityofalachua.com for people to review. Issues and ordinances addressed have been scaled back to only those necessary for City operation or time sensitive ordinances such as items that had already had a first reading and were scheduled for final approval at a later meeting.

Interested individuals can go to the City of Alachua website to view the agenda and can then comment, either by email at publiccomment@cityofalachua.com or by phone at 386-418-6158. All comments or phone calls must be submitted by 5:30 p.m. on the day prior to the scheduled meeting. Agendas are usually posted four to five days prior to each meeting.

The City has also updated its main page with a COVID-19 resource center. The center features information on virus testing and symptoms, as well as resources for residents including regulations for the stay-at-home order, unemployment contact, senior assistance and City department contact information.

There is also a page for businesses, which includes financial assistance contact information and which businesses qualify to stay open. The site also contains a page for people who would like to help others by sponsoring a family in need, delivering supplies to the elderly, or donating money or supplies for those in need. The site has links to numerous county, state and national information or resources, as well as links to the CDC and health departments for additional information.

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NEWBERRY – Many small businesses are built on a dream—people wanting to follow a passion and start a new business in their control and direction. The new digital age has allowed these small businesses to get exposure and gain clientele. Some of the more artistic businesses also depend on art shows, fairs and exhibits to increase their market. Now, any events that includes crowds are on hold for an undetermined time. Over 24 million jobs have disappeared in fewer than two months.

Deborah Salmi is a digital marketing professional by trade, but she started her own business designing and making hand-poured aromatherapy soy candles under the company name of Ritual Tree.

“For each candle sale, I give a portion of the sales proceeds to the Nature Conservancy to plant trees in degraded areas, restore wetlands, and plant new forests,” Salmi said. “After you use your candle, the pot can be repurposed for planting. The dust cover that came with your candle, is biodegradable seed-infused paper made by a local artist and you can wet the cover and plant it”

Newberry resident Mandy Wyrick makes handcrafted bath and spa products under the company name of Ginger Bomb Naturals. Each are made by hand with natural ingredients and a large variety of scents and natural ingredients.

Dee Mullin is also from Newberry and owns a plant and succulent nursery. Mullin has over 25 years of experience as a freelance floral designer and now concentrates on designs with succulents. She has a successful business doing event arrangements, art shows and festivals.

These three independent business women have something in common. Like so many others, all future business disappeared. Salmi was looking at all her inventory of candles meant to relax and remove stress that were simply gathering dust. She also knew that despite her loss of work, there were many people still working in often stressful but necessary positions who were putting their own health on the line to provide services for the general public. There has been recognition of heroic efforts and self-sacrifice by medical and first responders in this pandemic. But there are less visible jobs that may not be as dangerous or intense, but still put the worker at risk and are necessary to maintain.

Grocery store workers have important, “essential” jobs that put them on the front lines during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Their work is high-risk because they are in direct contact with potentially infected members of the public; oftentimes with little protective gear. There are reported increasing cases in the food and service industry. It’s a hard decision to go to work every day, never knowing if you may come in contact with an invisible enemy.

It was then that Salmi contacted Mullin and Wyrick with a concept. All three had a surplus of product that were meant for relaxation and beauty, so why not make gift packages to take to grocery stores and hospitals to thank the employees for their dedication. They called the project Scents, Suds and Succulents for Essential Workers.

The idea was to help these essential workers manage their stress, using surplus inventory from canceled craft shows and farmer’s markets and put together in gift bags. These beautiful handmade gifts are designed to ease stress and encourage relaxation and let these employees know that they are appreciated.

“Our own Scents, Suds & Succulents team member, Mandy, knows this first hand because her mother, Judy Kail, is a grocery store worker in Pennsylvania,” Salmi said.

On April 28, the women took three carts of gift bags to the Publix at Hunters Crossing to give to the employees, with a little over 100 self-care bags for their workers.

That first batch of gift bags came from their own supply of handmade products and plants. They hope to continue sharing the love, but with more than 2,700 local employees of Publix alone, not to mention the other food stores in town, it’s not economically possible for them alone.

They have set up a GoFundMe page under Scents, Suds, and Succulents for Essential Workers. The link to that page is https://bit.ly/2yWeKLi

All money donated will strictly go to materials for these gifts. They hope that other people will see the purpose and value in giving a small gift of appreciation to the people working in these troubled conditions., If enough can be raised the group wants to expand the gifts to hospital workers as well.

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alachuatoday.com

NEWBERRY – The Newberry City Commission held its first ever virtual City Commission meeting on Monday, March 23. Although the City has streamed their meetings via YouTube and earlier showed their meetings via Cox Channel 12, this was a different experience.

Mayor Jordan Marlowe was seated in the City Commission Chambers, while all five Commissioners, City staff members, presenters and citizens were all participating remotely from the comfort of their homes or offices. Staff quickly set up the meeting using Zoom, a program that allows various parties to participate in the meeting from a variety of different locations in real time.

The meeting was also streamed on YouTube, a platform that has sometimes been problematic for the City with occasional lapses in sound or video quality.

This progressive step was taken to help limit contact between people in an effort to stem the spread of Covid-19. In addition to the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) guidelines to limit contact with others, wash hands constantly throughout the day and limit visitors, Alachua County issued a County-wide Emergency Stay at Home Order earlier in the same day.

Luckily, the City had already planned to take actions to lessen the spread of the disease in whatever way possible.

“Newberry’s office staff members are working from home,” said City Manager Mike New. “The Newberry Fire Station is closed to walk-in traffic and senior staff members are meeting electronically every day to address whatever concerns and problems may arise.”

Currently, City parks are still open, but restrooms have been closed due to limited cleaning supplies. New is referring people to the City’s Facebook page for updates.

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