Thanks to those whose actions are solving problems and serving our community.

It’s a festive summer atmosphere in downtown Los Gatos with new outdoor dining options. Up and down North Santa Cruz Avenue, people are enjoying California summer weather and being able to socialize, even from a distance. Loma Brewery has a large outdoor space on a portion of Gray’s Lane where people are gathering. I saw a young girl practicing cheerleading. Temporary or not, it’s nice.

Peninsula Foodrunners was in a tough situation when their usual donations of leftover lunches from corporate offices dried up due to COVID-19 office closures. They teamed up with the Los Gatos Rotary Club, which made a generous donation that has kept the program running and, in the process, brought business to Campo di Bocce. Residents at the Casa de Novo homeless facility and at San Thomas Housing for Seniors received fully prepared Italian meals from Campo di Bocce, delivered by Los Gatos Rotarians. The club also delivered $2,000 in grocery gift cards to Los Gatos-based House of Hope for local families in need.

Another group of good people, the Los Gatos Lion’s Club, donated $10,000 to the Feed the Need Initiative. Flights Restaurants owner Alex Hult joined forces with the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce and Los Gatos Town Council and created this community-driven emergency fund. A dedicated team of volunteers, neighboring restaurants, and community agencies provided free hot meals to local nonprofit agencies, local hospitals, shut-in senior citizens, and low-income families. And it allowed Los Gatos restaurants to keep a portion of their staff employed by preparing meals at a flat rate.

Our story on Good Samaritans of Silicon Valley generated positive response. Co-founder Jack Rasmussen said, “We have received overwhelming support of our social work! A lady named Barbara messaged me: ‘I read the article about your mission to feed the disadvantaged of the community, and I would like to volunteer.’ It is people like this who support our mission and want to help who illustrate the power of kindness in the world today.”

As for the impact on himself, Rasmussen said, “I am thinking about writing poems and creating art based on our interactions and the friends we have met through Good Samaritans of Silicon Valley.”

Co-founder Quinton Markett added, “A small idea that started as an attempt to use extra time at home due to COVID-19 to help others is blossoming into a community effort. I would like to thank the community for the immense support we have received.”

A warning: There is an increase in “local” calls from scammers to your home or cell phone.  This phenomenon is called “neighbor spoofing” and it’s fooling a lot of smart people. The caller ID spoof strategy being used by con artists and robocallers modifies the phone numbers that appear on caller ID to look like they’re from neighbors, friend and local businesses.

Capt. Rich Urena of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office West Valley Division said, “Phishing scams are used to obtain personal information to commit fraud. Protect yourself by checking the sender’s email address, being suspicious of links and attachments, and watching out for spelling mistakes, poor grammar or an out-of-character tone.”

The Sheriff’s Office has a good tutorial on how to protect yourself at www.losaltoshills.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1350/Safety-at-Home-for-Seniors-Forum-SCC-Sheriff-LAH-Presentation.

At-home time is a good time for cleaning out. Remember that hazardous waste requires special disposal to prevent harm to the environment and includes products labeled as flammable, toxic, corrosive or reactive. You can Visit recyclestuff.org to find a recycling or reuse company. Disposal must be done through the Santa Clara County. https://www.sccgov.org/sites/rwr/hhw/Pages/hhw.aspx.

If you have business or social news about Los Gatos, I’d like to know: Debby@Debbyrice.com.