Hometown News Since 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXX, NO. XLI
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2020
pasoroblespress.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
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Paso Chamber Partners with GiftUp! to Help Local Businesses By Mark Diaz mark@pasoroblespress.com
people not to drop off donations, but instead donate money online to help with the purchasing of food. “We are, right now, figuring out a way that we can serve people that are 65-years and older and are not able to come here,” Sabi said. “That was already part of our vision that we were going to roll out this year, but now we’re doing it a little bit sooner. It’s a different circumstance, but it is really the same thing we had in
PASO ROBLES — The Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce has partnered with GiftUp! to help local businesses and aid the community during the COVID19 pandemic. PRCC Chief Economic Director said that the organization examined various gift card platforms that would best suit the needs of the community. The Chamber found that the app GiftUp! allowed customers to purchase gift cards remotely, thus keeping with social distancing, but also help local companies generate revenue immediately. “In many of the gift card programs,” Sloan said, “the merchant receives the revenue at the point of redemption, which could be three to six months from now, and our idea was to develop a cash flow bridge to help to get money to businesses now.” During the pandemic, the company GiftUp! decided to waive its usual 3.49 percent fee on the first $5,000 each business generates in gift card sales.
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Paso Robles Loaves and Fishes volunteers at work. Contributed photo
HELPING THE HUNGRY North County food banks see increase in demand for food assistance
By MARK DIAZ mark@pasoroblespress.com NORTH COUNTY — Both the Atascadero and Paso Robles Loaves and Fishes food banks have seen an increase in the demand for food assistance in the North County and will continue operations during the coronavirus outbreak. “We serve a lot of the working poor, and we serve a lot of elderly people,” PLF Executive Director Maria Madrid Sabi said.
Although the organizations share the Loaves and Fishes name, the Atascadero and Paso Robles food assistance programs are separate entities with different hours of operation. Each nonprofit has seen an uptick in people participating in their programs and have made changes to how they are operating to help accommodate the most people possible. Both have waived in-depth, face-to-face interviews generally performed to determine the level of need of the applicant. To deter the spread of the virus, both organizations also asked
LIFTING SPIRITS
HEALTH
Master Distiller Aaron Bergh Local Blood Bank Struggling to Find Donors Vitalant asks healthy citizens for help Pivots From Distilling Gin To Manufacturing Hand Sanitizer By MARK DIAZ mark@pasoroblespress.com
By NICHOLAS MATTSON nic@pasoroblespress.com Local distiller meets needs of first responders and other agencies in desperate need by converting the Calwise Spirits distillery to sanitizer production. Proprietor and master distiller Aaron Bergh made the pivot after seeing calls from agencies serving the community’s most vulnerable, and invites additional agencies in need to contact him. “It concerns me that our community servants don’t have sufficient sanitizer at a time when they need it more than ever,” said Bergh, who is known for producing craft gins and rums at his distillery in south Paso Robles. “I realized that my equipment and supply chain expertise could help out these everyday heroes as they work tirelessly to keep us safe.” In a short amount of time, Bergh has started supplying bulk hand sanitizer to the Templeton Fire Department, San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority, the Camarillo Police Department, 40 Prado Road Homeless Services Center, SLO Food Bank, and others. To meet growing demands, Master Most sobering was a call he received from Distiller Aaron Bergh shifted his operation to produce sanitizer. CONTINUED ON PAGE A16 Photo courtesy of Calwise Spirits Co. pasoroblespress.com
LOCAL NEWS
SAN LUIS OBISPO — On Thursday, Mar. 19, Governor Gavin Newsom reminded California residents of the need to give blood during this tumultuous time. “If people are feeling healthy and good and well, then they should definitely being coming out to donate,” said Mona Kleman, Senior Manager/Donor Recruitment for Vitalant, a nonprofit blood collection organization. Blood donations are taking a significant hit during the coronavirus pandemic. With numbers already low during flu season, the coronavirus pandemic shelter-athome orders issued by the County of San Luis Obispo and the State of California have slowed donations to a trickle. Schools, a major source of donations to the medical community, were forced to cancel appointments due to the countywide closures. “We have had multiple cancellations as a result of schools being closed,” Kleman said. “This time of year is a very busy time at high
ENTERTAINMENT
RECORD
Nonprofit orgaization Vitalant’s mobile blood bank. Photo by Mark Diaz
schools for us. All of the mobile drives that we had set up with Cal Poly in the next few weeks have also been canceled because they have gone virtual.” Serving the community for 50 years, Vitalant operated under names such as the United Blood Services, and some Central Coast natives might remember them as Tri-county Blood Bank. Vitalant operates a mobile medical unit, where it parks in various locations throughout the County an invites
people to donate blood. “We’re scrambling, trying to find places to park our bus,” Kleman said. “Obviously, filling that many voids is very difficult and challenging and I don’t expect that we will be able to do that. We have filled a few of those days, but we still have many of those days that are open without drives being scheduled. We do consider donating blood as an essential activity that is necessary to the
SPORTS
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WEATHER
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LOCAL CHURCHES Offer online services and resources | A3
MOVIE REVIEW ‘Emma” provides much-needed levity | A4
PRJUSD Begins drivethru meal program for children’s lunches | A7
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR WEEK 2 OF 2: A spotlight on top local athletes | A14
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