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Jul 29, 2020 Read in Browser

Karuna News

Hello friends. Some say the fastest speed is the "speed of love". This week, we come across a range of stories in which compassion gives rise to creative innovations and poignant expressions of compassion -- in realms from food to music, technology to community service.

COMMUNITY

2.4 Million Pounds And Counting: How Sending Surplus Crops To Food Banks Is Helping Farmers And Hungry Families

2.4 Million Pounds And Counting: How Sending Surplus Crops To Food Banks Is Helping Farmers And Hungry Families

"A forklift unloads tons of produce at Farmer Frog in Woodinville, part of the EastWest Food Rescue program. The van at left arrived to pick up 45 of the 2,000 boxes of food." Ken Lambert | The Seattle Times

"It started with a simple message on Facebook on April 29. George Ahearn had heard about farmers in Washington State who were giving away potatoes and onions and wanted to know if someone had a truck he could borrow to haul the discarded crops to western Washington food banks. The response was immediate and dramatic. A convoy of four trucks, including two with trailers, made the trip east, helping to provide quite a bounty for local food banks. "We brought back 9.36 tons, when my original goal was 2,000 pounds (one ton)," Ahearn said. The effort didn't end there. "EastWest Food Rescue is now a registered nonprofit organization that has delivered more than 2.4 million pounds of crops to more than 160 food banks. Not only is it helping with food security, but the organization is paying the farmers, who saw the market for some of their crops vanish during the coronavirus pandemic." The all-volunteer effort coordinates about 500 people -- half who volunteer and half who are donors. Read Full Story.

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TECHNOLOGY

This Tech Pulls Water Out Of The Air For Navajo Nation Residents

This Tech Pulls Water Out Of The Air For Navajo Nation Residents

Navajo Power

"In the Navajo Nation, sometimes a single spigot on an empty road is the only water source around for hundreds of residents. Others have to drive from their rural homes into towns miles away to buy all the water they need for cooking, drinking, cleaning and livestock, because there's no infrastructure to bring it through pipes. About 40% of households in the Navajo Nation live without running water. But now, at a few houses, panels positioned on the ground pull moisture from the air, connecting to a tap inside the home and providing up to 10 liters of water (about 20 16-ounce bottles) a day, at no cost to the family. "Navajo Nation is about the size of West Virginia. In its population of 175,000, 54,000 have no water. Zero Mass Waters Source hydropanels use sunlight to absorb water vapor from the air. In the Navajo Nation, where Covid-19 is surging, they could potentially provide a lifeline. Read Full Story.

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ARTS

Man Drives 1,400 Miles To Play Trombone Outside His Brother's Window

Man Drives 1,400 Miles To Play Trombone Outside His Brother's Window

"I'm just here to be here for him. And I think he realized that I drove all this way for him because I love him, and all you can do is show up," said Robert Graham. Hailing from Virginia, Graham drove 1,400 miles to Bozeman, Montana, to play the trombone for his brother, Bill, outside the window of his rest home, where he is quarantined. When he told an old friend who happens to be the trombone instructor at Montana State, five trombonists were outside Graham's brother's window playing a number of tunes, hymns and melodies. For Graham, it's about the therapeutic nature of music. "It's resonance. And that's the reason I got my trombone together. When you resonate chords with other people, you realize that you're connected to them in a very non-verbal way." Read Full Story.

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EVERYDAY HEROES

Driving To Save Lives: One Family's Dedication To Ensure People Get To The Hospital

Driving To Save Lives: One Family's Dedication To Ensure People Get To The Hospital

In rural Rajaganda, India, getting to the hospital isn't an easy task. The closest hospital is 50 km (31 miles) away, and it takes over an hour to drive through the jungle on dirt covered, sometimes flooded, roads. Because of these obstacles, years ago, Karimul Haque wasn't able to take his mother to the hospital, which lead to her death. Not wanting other people to suffer the death of a family member in the same way, Haque started a free ambulance service using a motorcycle and sidecar. Nineteen years later, he and his family have driven more than 5,000 people to the hospital, being available day and night to save lives. Read Full Story.

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INSPIRATION

Rep. John Lewis Honored With Stirring Performance Of 'Amazing Grace'

Rep. John Lewis Honored With Stirring Performance Of 'Amazing Grace'

Known as the "conscience of the U.S. Congress," late Rep. John Lewis was honored with an unprecedented public viewing at the U.S. Capital Rotunda in Washington, D.C., on Monday. "We knew that he always worked on the side of angels, and now we know that he is with them," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in the eulogy to her late decades-long colleague. Known for his remarkable efforts in the Civil Rights Movement, Lewis was one of the "Big Six" leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington, and the last surviving one at the time of his death on July 17, 2020, at the age of 80. A member of Congress since 1986, Lewis was honored in a private, socially distanced ceremony attended by leaders of both parties, followed by an unprecedented, socially-distanced public viewing that took place outside the building on July 28th. Dr. Wintley Phipps's stunning rendition of "Amazing Grace" visibly moved ceremony attendees. Read Full Story.

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