Community files: food and toy drives, Hanukkah and more | New

On November 28, the first Hanukkah night, about 200 residents of the Portola Valley and Woodside gathered in downtown Portola Valley for a Hanukkah festival. The new organization, Chabad Portola Valley & Woodside, hosted the event, which included a ‘decorate your own donut’ bar, unlimited latkes and applesauce, crafts for the kids and a makeup artist.

Woodside Fire Protection District firefighters held a drop of chocolate gelt from the top of their truck. Ice sculptors carved an ice menorah, which Mayor Maryann Derwin lit.

“There was a real sense of pride and Jewish community in the Portola Valley and Woodside, and everyone felt it,” according to organizers Rabbi Mayer Brook and Dassi Brook of Chabad Portola Valley & Woodside. “The power of the menorah is especially felt when it is enlightened with joy and enthusiasm, as it has been this year, with added appreciation for the blessing of being able to come together in community and celebrate together for the first time. “

On Thursday, December 2, there will be a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in the school staff parking lot at Sequoia Adult School, 3247 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The clinic is open to people aged 12 and over (children under 18 will need parental permission).

The first and second doses of Moderna and Pfizer shots will be available, as well as boosters. There will also be single doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Registrations will be done in front of the school door. No appointment is necessary, but to register in advance, go to myturn.ca.gov. You can find more information here.

The Sequoia High School District will host another COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Wednesday, December 30 at the North Fair Oaks Clinic.

Menlo-Atherton High School needs help to reach its goal of collecting 300,000 pounds of food as part of its annual canning drive. Donate non-perishable foods (like canned tuna, peanut butter and vegetable oil) or checks made out to Second Harvest Food Bank that will be used to purchase fresh produce.

So far, the group has raised 135,000 pounds of food, around 10,000 pounds from two years ago, said Mike Amoroso, a master’s leadership professor.

Food distribution is in MA on Saturday December 11 from 8 a.m. to noon.

Find a drop-off point online at lship.org or by email [email protected]

The Ravenswood Education Foundation aims to collect 1,800 new toys and gift cards by Friday, December 10 for students in the Ravenswood City School District.

Donors can drop off their gifts Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2120 Euclid Ave. in East Palo Alto. Send gifts to the Ravenswood Education Foundation, Attn: Jazmin Sosa, 5778 Chesbro Ave., San Jose CA 95123.

For more information on the player, visit ravenswoodef.org/toydrive.html.

– Angela Swartz

The West Bay Health District, which provides sanitation services to Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley and parts of other neighboring communities, has received $ 3.9 million in federal funding for an elevation project of the sea wall near Bedwell Bayfront Park in Menlo Park.

The project, to protect facilities in the health district near Bedwell Bayfront Park, involves building about 1,200 feet of living shoreline and 3,400 feet of sheet pile walls, according to a district statement.

Ultimately, the project aims to create about 3.5 acres of habitat along the San Francisco Bay area near Menlo Park and conserve about 0.8 acres of salt marsh, the statement said. The $ 9.4 million project will be funded with approximately $ 3.9 million in grant and approximately $ 5.5 million in district matching funds.

“There is a need for the district to do the dike work in order to protect the site, especially as we explore the construction of a second water harvesting facility in the Bayfront area. This grant will also allow the district to continue replacing and rehabilitating the old clay pipe sewer rather than completely tying up its resources on the dike, ”District Director Sergio Ramirez told The Almanac in an email.

The grant comes from the National Coastal Resilience Fund, which includes as partners the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US Department of Defense and the US Environmental Protection Agency, among other partners. such as AT&T, Shell and TransRe. The grant is one of 49 grants nationwide totaling $ 39.5 million, according to an announcement by the NFWF and NOAA.

“NOAA is proud to support vital projects in coastal communities, helping them adapt to coastal changes and better prepare for climatic hazards,” said Rick Spinrad, administrator of NOAA.

The grant program was launched in 2018 and aims to address “the increasing risks of coastal storms, sea level rise, flooding, erosion and extreme weather conditions by strengthening natural ecosystems that benefit also to fish and wildlife, “according to a press release.

– Kate Bradshaw