Though Old Capitol Books is closed, we still want to help in our community. That's why we're volunteering with the Monterey COVID-19 Mutual Aid Project in coordination with Direct Action Monterey Network. If you can volunteer to help deliver groceries to immunocompromised people, people with disabilities, or people with asthma, please sign up online. If you need help, please reach out.

There are so many ways to volunteer. If you can't leave your home, you can still volunteer to check in on people, lend board games, or talk to people on the phone who are experiencing fear and anxiety.

In this time we all need to be there for each other. Stay safe, stay healthy.

The San Jose Mercury News recently covered one of the Shelter-in-Place endeavors of Flights Restaurants President/CEO Alex Hult. Since the shutdown started, Alex has turned his attention from running his restaurants to doing what he can to help those in need in the community even though the effects of the shutdown has been devastating to him and his restaurants.

Straight on the heels of his #FeedTheNeed campaign that allows people to donate money to deliver family style meals to elderly and needy residents in the South Bay, Alex launched the Flights Family Market, a no-touch drive through grocery offering staples, prepared foods, and some gourmet items for good measure. You just drive up, choose the items you want, pay online, and everything will be loaded in your trunk for you.

Flights Family Market is open from 12-7pm daily and is available at the Flights Los Gatos location at 165 Los Gatos-Saratoga Rd in Los Gatos.

Mercury News: Los Gatos restaurant transformed into a 'no touch,' drive-thru grocery

In the Lighthouse District, a number of restaurants are switching from being dine-in restaurants to take-out and food delivery services. After being quarantined, you're probably starting to yearn for a taste of your former life, but you may hesitate because you're not sure if it's safe to do so.

Is it safe to eat take-out food during the Covid-19 pandemic?

While it's up to you to make the final call on this, we quote some reputable sources in saying that take-out food and food delivery is safe to consume. The Covid-19 virus is a respiratory virus that's predominantly transmitted through inhaling respiratory droplets emitted by infected individuals. The chance of transmission through food is unlikely and there have been no known incidences of Covid-19 transmission from eating food. There have also been no known incidences of SARS (close cousin of Covid-19) transmission through food.

The food itself may be a low risk, but encountering other people on your way to receiving your food is not a low risk so please be mindful of how much distance you are giving other people including the people who are working to get you your orders. Remember, we're not just concerned for your safety, we're also concerned about ours as well. Please stay six feet away and absolutely do not leave your home if you are sick.

References

• Food Safety and Coronavirus: A Comprehensive Guide (Serious Eats)
• Are food deliveries and groceries safe during coronavirus pandemic? Yes, experts say (CNN)
• Covid-19 Food Safety (US Department of Agriculture)
• Coronavirus: no evidence that food is a source or transmission route (European Food Safety Authority)

If you miss training, want the one-on-one watchful eye of a coach, or just need a distraction from the quarantine, Coach Masha of Boxing Strong invites you to explore online training!

Masha is now offering 30 minutes of private training via FaceTime, Facebook, or Skype for only $30. Book your training session online. This offer is only good during Monterey County's shelter-in-place order.

Masha has also started hosting 5-minute daily workouts for different body parts. Sometimes you may not have energy, willpower or time, but we KNOW you all have 5 minutes. She'll make it short and sweet (or bittersweet). Join Masha on Instagram Stories Live daily. She'll announce the time and body part(s) one day in advance. Just follow @boxingstrongmonterey.

Boxing Strong, now online, is usually located at 191 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey. Questions? E-mail Coach Masha or phone 831-200-3392.

The Lighthouse District's own little neighborhood grocery store, International Market and Deli, is now open during Monterey County's shelter-in-place order, offering a selection of food and other essentials. They have a remarkable stock of nonperishable items, including dry beans, grains, rice, and canned goods...and they occasionally have toilet paper. They also carry breads, cheese, meat, snacks, sweets, and more. View a list of items on their website.

International Market owners Gloria and Adil are committed to serving the New Monterey community during this difficult time. They bring in new supplies almost every day, and are offering free home delivery to seniors, families with children, and those with disabilities.

You're welcome to drop in, but because the market is small, they also offer curbside shopping to minimize contact between customers. Just call or e-mail your grocery order so they can prepare your bags in advance and arrange for a pickup time. You can pay by credit card at the curb or on the sidewalk using the market's portable credit card device.

International Market and Deli is located at 580 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey and is open Monday - Saturday, 10am-7pm, and Sunday, 11am-4pm. You can contact them via e-mail or by phone at 831-375-9451.

Just because there's a pandemic happening doesn't mean you can't eat well. Many of the Lighthouse District's fantastic restaurants are open exclusively for take-out and delivery orders. To help you find which restaurants are still running, we've set up the Lighthouse District Shelter-in-Place Dining Guide, which lists restaurants offering pick-up or delivery during Monterey County's shelter-in-place order.

At our Dining Guide, you'll also find operating hours, menus, contact information, and links to delivery services. Please note that most restaurants are open limited hours and those may change without notice.

Please remember to respect the safety of everyone who's working on Lighthouse to allow you to Shelter in Style. Follow the directions of the restaurant crews on how to pay and get your food. Maintain the recommended six feet of distance from them and other customers at all times, and if you are sick absolutely do not leave your home. (Many delivery services now offer no-contact home delivery, which is great if you're not feeling well.)

Thank you for your understanding. Please stay healthy, support local businesses if you can, and enjoy some of Lighthouse's amazing comfort food, perfect for lifting the spirit.

Andronico's Community Market in New Monterey has established exclusive shopping hours, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7am-9am, for local residents most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus such as senior citizens and other at-risk members of the community, including pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems.

Andronico's asks all customers to respect these special hours and reserve this shopping time for those most at risk in our communities. The store is located at 900 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Andronico's Community Market, located at 900 Lighthouse Ave in Monterey, is now hiring. They have immediate openings available - please fill out a job application online or check with the store director. The store phone number is 831-718-2405.

Not only is American Burger now open for take-out and delivery during the Shelter in Place Order, they also have a secret menu item: pupusas. Made by hand with love, their pupusas are delicious, grilled homemade corn tortillas filled with pork and cheese. Order some to-go at 831-373-7573.

American Burger was started in August of 2009 by the Miguel family. Proud immigrants from El Salvador, they named their restaurant "American Burger" in honor of their own pursuit of the American entrepreneurial dream. With their pupusas, the Miguel family is sharing their traditional family recipe, and a taste of Salvadoran comfort food, with you.

American Burger is located at 738 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Just because there's a pandemic happening doesn't mean that you can't eat well. Many of Downtown Campbell's restaurants are back online in limited capacity to field take-out and food delivery orders. To help you navigate the Downtown Campbell restaurants that you still have access to, we've setup the Shelter-in-Place Dining Guide that only lists restaurants offering pick-up or delivery.

Please be aware that most of the restaurants are only open limited hours and not all menu items may be available for take-out and delivery. We'll try to keep the hours accurate for everyone, but they may change without notice.

While you may be thrilled that you can again enjoy some of your favorite Downtown Campbell grub, please remember to respect the safety of everyone who's working to allow you to Shelter in Style. Follow the directions of the restaurant crews on how to pay and get your food. Maintain the recommended six feet of distance from them at all times and if you are sick absolutely do not leave your home.

If any of the crew here gets sick, the restaurants may not be able to operate or may just decide that staying open just isn't worth it. Our safety during this very difficult time is just as important to us as yours.

Thank you for your understanding. Please stay healthy and we really appreciate your business.

As you probably know, small businesses are really suffering during this Covid-19 shutdown. Even in the best of times, running a small business is not for anyone who lacks a taste for danger. The margins are small and the hours are long. No sane person would pick this line of work because it's the easiest way to make a good living. You do it because it's just who you are. You do it because it's in your DNA and you just can't imagine life as anything other than being the owner of a shop or a restaurant.

If you're one of the lucky people whose life hasn't been entirely flipped upside down by the Covid-19 outbreak, please consider supporting our temporarily shuttered businesses through this time with the purchase of a gift card that you can use when they're able to open their doors again. Not everyone has gift cards available online so you may need to work out for a "pre-Internet" transaction.

Browse Gift Card Options

If you want to support our restaurants, you can also check out our "Shelter-In-Place Dining Guide" and use it to place a food order for pick-up or delivery.

News flash! We can now do email orders! Just contact us with your book wish list at recyclebookstores@gmail.com, and we will check our in stock inventory!

We take Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal. Shipping is a flat $4.50 flat no matter how many books you buy.

You can also place orders for gift cards by emailing us or leaving us a message at 1-408-370-3514.

What better way to offer comfort to the 'shelter In place' friends and relatives than to send them some wonderful teas to enjoy with their favorite book or TV show?

The wide world of teas that you can get at Steepers in Downtown Campbell can also be ordered online for delivery.

Check out the large selection of teas at:
Steepers.net

Free shipping for all orders over $50.

Hello to all of our friends who are sheltering in place. Things are so far from normal, that we can't even talk about the "new normal" because we're all still trying to find it. What hasn't changed is that some of our businesses are still hustling and coming up with ways of getting the things you like to you even if we're not able to greet you.

Downtown Campbell and Sushi Confidential Campbell were recently featured in an ABC7 News story on what businesses were doing to survive the quarantine. Sushi Confidential has been hard at work in transitioning their dine-in restaurant to operate as a pick-up and delivery food service. They're taking advantage of their outdoor seating area and are using it allow for safe food pick-ups. They've also partnered with familiar friends in Frost Cupcake Factory and Strike Brewing Co. so you can grab a dozen cupcakes and a 4-pack of local craft beers to help you shelter in style.