Wednesday, May 19. Here’s what’s happening with the coronavirus in California and beyond.
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Every Friday night, I trek to The Times’ building in El Segundo to feed the colony of feral cats that lives in the office parking lot. The cats have their own schedule of caretakers, and my weekly slot has become a comforting ritual throughout the pandemic. I look up at the seventh floor where my desk has sat unused for the past 14 months and remember the Before Times, then turn back to the felines I see more than my actual colleagues.
Aaron Rodgers donates $1M to help small businesses in his California hometown
CALIFORNIA (CBS 58) Aaron Rodgers is stepping up to help 80 small, locally-owned businesses in his hometown of Chico and all of Butte County, California, with a donation of $1 million.
According to a news release, Those 80 restaurants and retail businesses will receive grants to help cover rent for, on average, three months or longer and/or other operational costs through the Aaron Rodgers Small-Business COVID-19 Fund at North Valley Community Foundation in Chico. The grants will total more than $1 million.
North Valley Community Foundation says nine of the business owners were personally notified by the MVP in video calls.
Small, locally owned businesses are the heart and soul of a community, said Rodgers. In the applications and the videos, it was heart-wrenching to hear about all the obstacles facing restaurants and retail establishments. So many of them are struggling just to stay in business but remain hopeful that there s an end to this.
The fund was started in early February with a $500,000 donation from Aaron Rodgers, the Chico native who is a three-time NFL Most Valuable Player. After seeing the need, Rodgers decided to increase his donation to $1 million. It was augmented by $100,000 from NVCF, an anonymous donation of $100,000 and a generous donation from Sherry and Gary Holbrook of Holbrook s Clearance Center.