Nomad Goods, a Santa Barbara company that makes phone cases and other electronics accessories, is donating 1 million COVID-19 prevention masks to nonprofits and community organizations.

Earlier this year, Nomad began producing masks and other personal protective equipment, along with it usual offerings. On Oct. 9, it announced that it was taking nominations of relief groups, nonprofits, community foundations, and anyone who might need the mask donations.

Nomad has identified four recipients and will match donations to help each group. They are Direct Relief; Glide.org, a nonprofit that helps the homeless; Meals on Wheels; and the United Way. Donations can be directed toward masks for those groups, or other organizations can be nominated, on Nomad’s website.

WONDERFUL GRANTS
The Wonderful Company, a major grower and agricultural landowner in the San Joaquin Valley that also owns Justin Vineyards in Paso Robles, has created a $500,000 grant fund for San Luis Obispo and Sonoma counties to address COVID and wildfire relief.

The company already has a $1 million COVID relief fund for the Central Valley and recently announced the first 15 recipients. The grants in San Luis Obispo and Sonoma counties will be between $1,000 and $5,000 and will go to nonprofits and public agencies. Submissions must be received by Oct. 31 to receive priority consideration, and application information is available at www.justinwinegrants.com.

KIDSTREAM IN COMPETITION
KidSTREAM, a nonprofit that is planning a children’s museum in Camarillo, is competing in a month-long nonprofit challenge from USA Network and won a the event’s second weekly challenge by raising more than $12,000 in the first week of October.

USA Network contributed an additional $3,000 to the museum. USA Network is giving away a total of $200,000 through five different fundraising challenges and through grants of up to $25,000 to the top fundraisers during the contest. KidSTREAM had raised more than $23,000 since the contest started on Sept. 21 and was in third place overall, as of Oct. 10.

MADI’S TREASURE BOX
Madison Wilson, an 8-year-old Solvang girl, was featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Oct. 7 for her efforts to give children of color crayons and books that would accurately represent their skin colors.

Frustrated at crayons that only offered peach and brown as skin colors, she started raising money to purchase thousands of crayons for schools. When she couldn’t find the right skin tones in existing products, she decided to create her own line of multicultural crayons.

Her nonprofit, Madi’s Treasure Box, has raised more than $40,000 through GoFundMe to support the effort. Her line of crayons is scheduled to be released in November, with 16 skin colors, four hair colors and four eye colors.

The initiative will provide crayons and books for 14 schools as well as the nonprofit Children’s Bureau.

SLO GOES GREEN
The city of San Luis Obispo has been recognized by the Institute for Local Government for its sustainability and climate action policies.

The institute, a nonprofit affiliated with the California League of Cities and other associations of local governments, announced Oct. 9 that San Luis Obispo had received its 2020 Gold Level Beacon Spotlight Awards for Sustainability Best Practices and Community Greenhouse Gas Reductions. The awards celebrate the city’s 12 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions between 2005 and 2016 and its statewide leadership in sustainability, according to a city news release.

The city’s recently adopted climate action plan has some of the most ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets in the nation and includes clean power and green building incentives, improvements to city facilities including a large scale energy efficiency project at the water treatment plant, solar powered electric vehicle chargers at City Hall, and LED lighting retrofits at city parking garages.

HELPING PARENTS IN SLO

Economic Vitality Corporation of San Luis Obispo County recently launched its Childcare Capacity Project, a program that will connect child care resources and facilities with local businesses in an effort to help provide childcare services where they are currently lacking. With help from an $8,500 grant from Bank of America, EVC plans to work with more than 20 local businesses to connect their employees with local child care providers.