2 p.m. Got PPE?
Denver is holding a personal protective equipment drive tomorrow between noon ad 4 p.m. in Lot J at Mile High Stadium.
They're asking for: eye protection & googles, face shields; surgical masks; N95 masks; sterile & non-sterile gloves; disposable gowns ; biohazard bags.
Give 'em if you got 'em.
1 p.m. Tell us how your economy is faring
Here's a second prompt to give our community space to say what's going on out there: Business owners and working people, how are you feeling right now? Is rent or mortgages in town looming large? Do any of the government relief prospects give you hope? Are you not that worried? Email me if you care to share, and thank you.
Twitterer @DustyOConnell wrote: "Lost my job at a bar that had just opened when restaurants were closed. I don't expect anyone at any level of government to provide any kind of meaningful relief, and $10 or $20 here or there won't pay my rent in May, when I've been unemployed for 6 weeks."
Danielle Holman emailed: "I'm one of the few lucky individuals who can work from home and get paid. My boyfriend however was laid off this last week, and I was laid off from second job (both of us work in restaurants) so there is undoubtedly a huge chunk of our monthly income missing. I'll have enough to cover our rent this month but that will pretty much take everything I have left ... I'm concerned how we are going to buy food when we inevitably run low. I've been trying to get on the unemployment site since Monday night and have had no luck. My boyfriend has applied to various grocery stores but hasn't heard back yet. I'm afraid that when I finally do get through on unemployment we'll be so far behind the other claims that we won't see that money for a long time."
12:45 p.m. A normally bustling brunch spot switches to a burrito menu
Sunny's usually has a line out the door right about now on a Saturday. While they've gotten some to-go orders this morning, owner Ryan Turano said the slowdown has been "like night and day."
He's still weighing whether it's feasible to remain open. He hasn't used delivery apps like Uber Eats until this weekend.
"Now seems like the time," he told us.
12:30 p.m. RiNo Art District announces micro-grant program
The district announced grants between $500 and $2,500 for "galleries, artists, makers, creators, musicians, performers, teachers, and creatives in all disciplines; small locally owned businesses such as coffee houses, bars, restaurants, and independent gyms, etc." who currently are "and plan to remain in the RiNo Art District."
"We are committed to supporting these organizations during the COVID-19 crisis, and are dedicating $200,000 to a micro-grant program through the RiNo Support Fund," they wrote on the grant page.
They're giving preference to applications submitted before April 10, and the money will be available within 30-40 days of a decision.
9:30 a.m. What are YOU doing today?
We're trying something different today and we want to hear from you. Tell us what you're up to on Social Isolation Saturday™ and we may feature your voice here! We're all in this together. Kindly email your response to me. If this works, we'll roll out some more questions later.
First up: People are spending time with their doggos.
Cooking and reading sounds nice.
Facebooker Dixie Darr tells us: "I'm making banana bread and waiting for figure skating on TV. And reading. Always reading."
No weights, no problem.
"Speed" and soap
Reader Colin seems content: "This morning I'm puttering around the kitchen in my safety goggles and nitrile gloves, making soap from coconut oil and lavender blossoms, watching 'Speed.'"
Make that soap!
Annie: "Oh sure. It's just like driving a really big Pinto."
How about some fresh air?
Reader Stephanie Rosvall writes: "My family and I are out and about appreciating our time together."
"Soup!"
Twitterer Erin Overturf is stirring the pot.
Staying Sharp
Twitterer Alan Bucknam says: "Sharpening knives (because you can never have too-sharp knives) and drinking coffee (because you can never have enough coffee)."
Making new friends
Christina McClelland emailed in to say: "My husband and I are missing our friends IRL so we decided to make some new, social-distancing approved ones. Here they are: Mr. Freeze, Snowball and TBD Kitty. Maybe Denverite readers have name ideas?"
8 a.m. What to do with a lazy Saturday in social isolation?
Why not write some fiction? We have a contest.
6 a.m. Got freeze?
Joe Rubino reports for the post that TP is not the only thing flying off shelves. Freezers are apparently also a hot ticket item right now.
