We are undoubtedly dealing with some incredibly tough times these days. Amidst all of the negative doom and gloom news out there, there are plenty of uplifting moments. We’ve compiled a few shining moments of Sun Valley COVID Resilience to give you a little pick me up. We hope you too can start to look for those little wins as we get through this ordeal together.
Howling for Front Line Workers
Every evening at 8pm at you can hear the oowoooos and yips echoing off the valley walls from Bellevue to Ketchum. These howls are a beacon of appreciation for those COVID-19 frontline workers. It’ll put goosebumps on your arms and make you smile from ear to ear. If you’re in the Valley, we encourage you to join in. Even the Blaine County Sheriff’s dogs are showing their support.
A Perk for Healthcare Workers
The Argyros Performing Arts Center has raised funds to purchase 250 gift cards and are donating them to St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation. These cards will be given to health care workers. Recipients of the cards can be used for any of the Argyros’ future performances.
“As the Argyros remains dark until we all feel comfortable to sit with friends and enjoy another performance, the board members wanted to show their support to the community,” said Board Member Sally Onetto.
Feeding Those In Need
The Hunger Coalition | The Hunger Coalition has been a long-standing access point to healthy food for those in need. Demand for their services has sky rocketed in recent times and the local community has stepped up to help support their efforts.
Cafe Della | Thanks to generous donations from friends and family, Cafe Della has supported a buy one, gift one Family Meal offering. Simple, delicious, nourishing dinners designed to feed a family of four. For every Family Meal a customer purchases, the cafe donates a Family Meal to a local family in need. While supplies last, dinners are donated to restaurant and hospitality employees throughout the valley who are in need. Pretty great how these folks are keeping the Family Meal tradition alive and well!
First Lite & Rico’s | In addition to a myriad of donations from locals and businesses such as First Lite, Rico’s Authentic Italian Restaurant has teamed up with The Hunger Coalition for an effort entitled “Rico’s Provide A Pie” Program.” Its goal is to feed people in crisis during the outbreak in a unique way. They will donate a free, small size pizza to The Hunger Coalition for every large size pizza purchased by the community. How rad it that!?
Wiseguy Pizza Pie | More pizza for those in need thanks to Wiseguy Pizza Pie, Burnett Properties, Todd and Erin Harmon of the Harmon Investment Group at RBC Wealth Management along with the Church of the Bigwood, 150 hot pizzas will be provided to those in need.
5B Fruit | 5B Fruit is another feel good story on the food front. These folks donated over 70 juices to St. Luke’s hospital workers!
Grocery Day | Local chef, Sean Temple has selflessly organized a “Grocery Day” for all the laid off or struggling service workers in the community. This program offers a drive-thru where they are handing out bags of groceries which may contain food from a variety of suppliers who have graciously donated or sold goods at cost. Keep tabs on the Boho Lounge & Sawtooth Brewery facebook pages for updates.
Krispy Kreme | A generous family took the day of their anniversary to deliver 400 dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts to frontline workers and those who have been affected by COVID-19. Nothing like a box full of doughnuts to put a smile on your face!
Silver Creek Seed Farm | Due to circumstances that COVID-19 has played on the farming market, a local farm was unfortunately left with 75 tons of surplus potatoes. In an effort to pay it forward, the family chose to donate the potatoes to those in need. This was an incredibly welcomed gesture of kindness provided to a community that loves a good potato.
Helping Senior Citizens
The local Dream Foundation Scholars have engaged in a service project to support the community’s seniors who are isolated at home. They have been hard at work to make art and writing letters to distribute to seniors who are sheltering in place. Their work is picked up and laminated so that the Senior Connection team can then sterilize the gifts before they are delivered. They have created art and letters, so far, for 50 of our community’s seniors! Big high-fives to this group.
Protective Masks & Shields
Wild Rye Apparel | Locally based Wild Rye Apparel has stepped up with a program called Masks for Mountain Towns in which they are donating 50 masks to hospitals in need for every $50 spent on Wild Rye products. Their owner is also offering to match up to $1,000 in donations provided to their GoFundMe account.
J McLaughlin | J McLaughlin has also stepped up to the mask making plate and has donated thousands of face protectors to frontline workers. They took it a step further and decided to have their masks featuring their fun signature prints and fabrics for sale to the public (approximately 3 for $20). Even better news, 100% of profits from the sale of J McLaughlin masks are being donated to the Frontline Responders Fund, that focuses on getting critical supplies to frontline responders combating COVID-19. Call the store for details: 208-471-5387.
Local Student | Local college student, Oliver Guy 3-D printed 61 shields thanks to the help of the Wood River Community School. Guy has given the shields to Wood River Fire & Rescue that 61. Solid work on putting the education and local resources to work.
Goggles for Docs
The ski season may be over on Bald Mountain but those goggles can still be put to good use. Goggles for Docs is an effort to get used or new ski goggles into the hands of healthcare workers who currently have no eye protection as they treat COVID-19 patients.
The Sun Valley Community has jumped on board to donate to the cause. Goggles are being collected at the base of River Run in front of the Brass Ranch. More information can be found here.
Sun Valley Made Hand Sanitizer
The crew over at Warfield Distillery has stepped up to the plate to make organic hand sanitizer for Wood River Valley based entities. Nice work!
Fostering Pets
For those folks who are unable to tend to their pets do to illness, Mountain Humane has setup a fostering network to lend a hand. More information can be found here.
Giving Back
Giddy Up For Good | On Memorial Day Weekend, Rebecca Rush has put together a special Rebecca’s Giddy Up Challenge that benefits COVID-19 relief via the Be Good™ Foundation. With y’alls help, they will use bicycles or running shoes as a catalyst for healing, empowerment and evolution. Registration fees and additional fundraising will support programs providing public health, medical resources deployment, bikes for frontline healthcare workers, and cycling infrastructure for transportation in partnership with our Be Good beneficiaries. More details can be found here.
Club Ride Apparel | With your support Club Ride was able to donate $3,600 to The Hunger Coalition. From March 23rd-31st Club Ride donated 15% of proceeds from online sales back to our Hunger Coalition and match that dollar for dollar!
Make You Smile While Getting a Workout
The ever witty crew over at Ketchum based DECKED have put together a rather cheeky workout series called Decked-Xercise. If you’re not in it for the reps, at least watch it for the laughs.
Additional local entities providing exercise and yoga classes in a more traditional sense include:
- Gather Yoga
- Beth Stuart Yoga
- Pure Body Bliss Yoga
- Zenergy – workout
- Miles to Go – workout
- The Mill SV – workout
More Resilience Stories
The Sun Valley Institute has put together a great collection resilience stories over on their blog. Check them out HERE
Blaine County Recovery is another uplifting site with great resources for bouncing back from the impacts of COVID-19.
It’s uplifting to see all of these great things rising coming about amidst all of the trials that we’re facing. This is What We’re Made Of. Have your positive story that we might have missed, shoot us an email at info@visitsunvalley.com.
For insights on how to stay entertained during the socially distant times, check out our Self Isolation Inspiration blog for a list of the great things the local community is offering to keep the mind occupied.