Red Oak is a family of agents and employees who are deeply committed to its communities. We share common core values, one of which has always been our commitment to our neighbors and our pledge to help our East Bay communities in which we both live and work.

 

In addition to giving funds to help support the Red Oak Opportunity Foundation's (ROOF) initiatives, our agents and staff are giving back in a variety of ways during these challenging times. We thought we’d take this opportunity to share their acts of kindness, as well as share how others can get involved.

 

When the pandemic struck, it didn’t take long before a handful of Red Oak tailors got to work. Agents, Catherine Stern and Holly Bradford, immediately began making masks for members of their communities. Holly even donated a large number to another Red Oak agent whose sister was working as a doctor fighting COVID in the hard-hit city of Detroit without a mask. Susan Grant, a member of the MAJ Realtors team, has made over 200 masks to date, donating all of them to community members, delivery drivers, the Milo Foundation, the Food Bank, and Public Health Workers at the California Department of Health.

 

There have also been numerous donations and exchanges of materials to help make these efforts happen, including an extremely generous donation from a dear Red Oak friend, Laura Martin Bovard, an Oakland-based interior designer who donated fabric to those within the community who are making masks.

 

Additional PPE donations and collections have taken place, the largest coming with the help of agents Candace Hyde-Wang and Portia Pirnia (whose husband is on the front lines as a surgeon). Many agents donated funds back in March and April to help purchase masks that would go directly to the Alameda health system, long before larger shipments procured by the state were due to arrive. With help from agents like Terry Pedersen, Portia was able to purchase more than 5,000 N95 masks to help keep local healthcare workers safe.

 

Many agents and staff members have also offered their time and assistance to local organizations like the Alameda Food Bank. Stephen Bloom and Robin Donovan from The Bloom Homes Team have consistently volunteered to serve meals at the Alameda Food Bank where they’ve hit record numbers during the pandemic. While some volunteer roles are limited, they are still in need of distribution help. The Alameda Food Bank website has more information.

 

It came as no surprise that more and more members of the Red Oak community have been reaching out to others to meet the community’s growing needs. Grocery shopping for at-risk family members and neighbors is something that many are doing to help, in addition to organizing grocery and pharmacy pickups in their communities. Some agents are preparing meals for families of healthcare workers, whether they are friends or neighbors. Others are reaching out to simply check-in as well as offer assistance to at-risk individuals, or even those that may be alone at this time. Agent, Catherine Stern, recently surprised her neighbor, an exhausted ICU nurse at Children’s Hospital handling COVID patients, by cleaning up her garden while she was on a shift, giving her a lovely gift to come home to enjoy.

 

Some agents and staff members have partners on the front lines, whether doctors, nurses, firemen, or emergency responders. They are supporting their communities by caring for their families while their partners are caring for all of ours. A few weeks ago, we shared the story of how Red Oak is helping to support a Bay Area organization (LavaMae^x) with donations through our nonprofit, the Red Oak Opportunity Foundation (ROOF).

 

Whether it’s a caring phone call, a meal cooked, or a financial donation, one message seems to resonate throughout all of our communities: we are here for one another. The spirit of human kindness cannot be suppressed, even in the most challenging, unprecedented times.

 

If you are looking for ways to contribute or volunteer, the California Volunteers website is a good place to start.