The Gull's Call - Apr/May/Jun 2025

CommunityNews

removing lanes, and placing bicycle lanes between the car lane and the bike path While this proposal is consistent with the City’s Vision Zero initiative (www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/ Planning-Building-and-Transportation/Transportation/ Vision-Zero), our community and its members have serious concerns about its potential impacts. In light of the fact that a recent EIR has already stated implementing this plan will cause additional congestion and delays for our residents, we feel strongly this part of the Pavement Plan should be revised. In February 2025, the CHBIOA primary board passed a resolution opposing the portion of the Plan that covers our community. Putting Ripe Backyard Fruit Trees Into Good Cause by Daniel Winghin Chung, Bay Isle Pointe

My son and I have been volunteering with Project Pick for the last several years. We are gratified by this meaningful act for two reasons: First, we help reduce waste through diverting otherwise rotten fruit to communities’ dining tables. Second, through volunteering with other community members, we are building a stronger community with greater understanding and come unified to serve real people with real need. Food insecurity is becoming a national issue as people lack access to enough healthy food for an active and healthy life for all household members. The Covid-19 pandemic has made the situation worse with a sharp increase of clients needing support for food, according to the Alameda Food Bank. If you are interested in volunteering, have extra fruit to donate from your backyard, or simply need help to harvest your backyard fruit trees for keeping some, and donating the rest, please either email Project Pick at info@alamedabackyardgrowers.org or text or leave a message at 510-239-PICK (7425). Project Pick volunteers will contact you for arrangement.

D O YOU HAVE EXTRA FRUIT FROM YOUR BACKYARD fruit trees, but no time or too high to pick them up? What if that extra fruit could benefit the community by donating to the local food bank? Since 2011, Alameda Project Pick has partnered with Alameda Backyard Growers to collect or pick and collect fruits from Alameda household backyards with a group of volunteers. Up until this year, 2025, Project Pick has donated over 35 tons of fresh fruits to Alameda Food Bank. According to Teale Harden, Executive Director of the Alameda Food Bank (AFB), since January 2022 the Alameda Food Bank has enrolled 800 new families and the demographics are changing. They are now seeing more families with kids, more senior citizens, and even more people who are employed full-time but still can't make ends meet.

April | May | June 2025 9

The Gull’s Call