Hawthorne Press Tribune
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 62, No. 40 - October 1, 2020
The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne
Thank you Dr. Paul’s Immediate Care
For Keeping Our Officers Safe
Dr. Paul’s Immediate Care stopped by the Hawthorne Police station to administer flu shots and b12 shots for the department personnel. You and your staff are much appreciated for taking the time to keep our police healthy and safe. Photo courtesy Hawthonre Police Department.
Hawthorne Hotspot Huber’s Hiccups
Experienced Construction Trial Attorney
Helping homeowners get projects completed.
Helping contractors get paid.
Ryan@Baldino.Law (310) 300-1511
By Samantha Schmidt
Intro
Hi Hawthorne! As we all know, Covid-19
hit a huge impact and some of us are still
trying to find resources such as food, technology,
and other necessities. Folks from all
over Los Angeles are taking these vibrant,
brightly-colored photos with what looks to be
a refrigerator and posting it on the popular
social media app: Instagram. Most of these
refrigerators are decorated with the signature
Acid House smiley face as well as featuring
some unique font. If you haven’t heard of
this yet, these refrigerators have become to be
known as Los Angeles Community Fridges, a
non-profit organization built by the people for
the people. Luckily, Hawthorne has its own
and I am here to give you more in depth of
our very own Hawthorne Community Fridge
(repeat, pick one).
Hawthorne community fridge
Many of you might ask, “What is a community
fridge?” and well, it’s exactly how
it sounds. These are refrigerators run by
individual communities or neighborhoods,
such as Leimert Park or Mid-City in Los
Angeles. Many people of the community
work together to keep the fridge stocked
with food with granola bars, cheese, water
bottles, and anything else they wish to give.
The best part about this project is that everything
in the fridge is free for all! Anyone
can take anything from any time of the day.
The fridge in Highland Park reads “Comida
Gratis” or “Free Food.” Another one is our
very own Hawthorne Fridge that says, “Free
food 4 You.” I interviewed Brody Rodriguez,
a Hawthorne resident who took the initiative
to create a fridge for his city, and asked him
a few questions on what inspired him to
start this effort.
He introduced himself saying “Hi, my name
is Brody Rodriguez and I am the founder of
the Hawthorne Community Fridge.” I asked
him what exactly is a community fridge for
those who need an in depth explanation. He
explains “the Hawthorne Community Fridge
is a mutual aid project, in collaboration with
LA Community Fridges … [this is] to help
reduce food insecurity and food waste in
underrepresented and underserved communities
throughout Los Angeles.”
From the beginning of July, many of
these community fridges started multiplying,
especially within areas that have been
hit hardest financially since the beginning of
pandemic. Food insecurity is at a high across
LA County, but the community fridge helps
those who might not have access to food
banks, shelters, and school meals. Because
of these sensitive times, local shop owners
and small business owners have the heart to
pay for the electricity bill to keep the fridge
running. Continuing with the interview, I
asked Brody what exactly inspired him to be
one of these fridge owners. “At the time, the
nearest community was in Leimert Park and
there were not any plans yet of a community
fridge in the works of South Bay” he says.
After a week of promoting his Instagram page
@hawthornecommunityfridge and posting the
process of getting a refrigerator and hiring an
artist, he received a positive reaction. “The idea
News for the City of Good
Neighbors from an Old Guy
named Norb Huber
Going Through
The Motions
As I mentioned last week, Linda
and I traveled up to Montana to
celebrate the earthly life, and the
entry into eternal life in Christ, of
my dear aunt, Ruth. Throughout
our travels, which took us to seven states,
it seemed like life had returned to pre-virus
normalcy, that is, if you were just watching
the traffic and seeing the people move about.
But, there were a lot that had not returned,
many things that had changed. Masks, masks
and more masks were everywhere. Everyone
pretty much is doing his or her part to stop the
spread. Closed stores, shorter hours, no buffets,
or counter foods, everything had to be wrapped
or sealed. There was no food served on the
airplanes. Passengers are handed a bag with a
water bottle and small snack upon entering the
jet. In these times, you better call ahead and
make sure the store or café that you
are trying to go to is still operating.
My wife is a quilter. She loves to
visit quilt shops to look at different
fabrics whenever we are visiting a
new town or city. We drove about
ten miles to one such shop in Salt
Lake City only to find out that they
had closed up, most likely due to
the pandemic. People seem to be
careful and cautious whenever they
are in close range of each other in stores or
on the street. It’s almost like we are afraid
of each other. We have been told to play it
safe. What this virus has done is to make us
less outgoing and less engaging. We have
fewer chance encounters. We have fewer
conversations. I have made it a point to try to
smile at others, or at least acknowledge them
in passing. Really living has been put on hold.
It seems like we are just “going through the
motions”. We say to ourselves, as long as can
stay healthy, not catch the virus, then we are
good. There is something missing when we
See Huber’s Hiccups, page 4
See Hawthorne Happenings, page 8