Getting the word out about covid-19
b'October 26, 2020 \\u2014 As the US, along with much of the Western world sees surges in covid-19 numbers, local organizations like the chambers of commerce and non-profits are working to distribute masks and information about the virus. Lucy Kramer is a community wellness coordinator and the program manager for the mask awareness program at North Coast Opportunities, which has made more than a dozen mini-grants to organizations and individuals with ideas about how to spread the word. \\nNCO itself received a grant of a little over $150,000 from the county of Mendocino over the summer, to target young people and Hispanic and Native American communities. Some of the grants it disbursed from that money were matched by another organization, Emergency Preparedness in Communities, which doubled some of the awards, so fourteen of the grantees could get a limit of $6,000. \\nOne grantee is the covid response network, which has put out a bilingual survey to find out what people already know about the virus. Questions include basic queries about safety practices and what kind of messaging people find most compelling about the virus. Some of the answers double as suggestions for safe ways to handle holiday celebrations, while others seek information about people\\u2019s feelings regarding free testing if they\\u2019re asymptomatic or getting the vaccine if it becomes available.\\nKramer also coordinates the Gardens Project, and says the gardens have become distribution points for masks, along with with bilingual information about the virus.\\nAs of the middle of last week, she had 40,000 masks remaining from a shipment of 115,000. \\u201cThey\\u2019re going like hotcakes,\\u201d she reported.'