Shoppers have probably seen the donation bins in the entry to the Los Osos Grocery Outlet, asking community members to lend a hand to those in need. The Estero Bay Kindness Coalition recently collected the items along with close to 70 turkeys from the store and delivered them to the doorsteps of families in Baywood Park and Los Osos.
“We try to help our community here at home,” said Malia Cross, co-owner and operator of Los Osos Grocery Outlet “Yes, we partner with the SLO Foodbank, but we prefer to work with the ‘micro ministries’ that help — Kings Cupboard from The Nazarene Church. The Morro Bay food group that feeds people at the veterans hall in Morro Bay came to us after Cookie Crock closed. They pick up food and feed groups of people in need, usually the day they pick up the donations. We also work with Mama Gina’s Closet and Hope’s Village, which move around the coast as needed.
“I would like to think our store is helping the community with lower prices and great value for our neighbors. Our customers are our business. We do a month long food drive, Independence from Hunger, the month of July, and monies go back to the local community dinners at the community center. A pallet of soups went to a micro ministry that needed it at the time. We help People Helping People, Los Osos Cares and whoever has the courage to ask — we try.”
For more information about the Estero Bay Kindness Coalition, go to EsteroBayKindnessCoalition.org. Grocery Outlet is located at 1130 Los Osos Valley Rd, Los Osos.
Free Parking in SLO
For readers looking to do some holiday shopping in the big city, parking is free courtesy of the City in its three public parking structures in downtown on Sundays and holidays through New Year’s Day.
“We encourage community members to visit the downtown area and support downtown businesses this holiday season,” said Parking Manager Gaven Hussey. “Historically, we’ve offered free parking on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s days, and this is an extension of that. Sundays during the holiday season can be fairly slow-traffic days and suspending parking enforcement in the parking structures on those days will help our efforts to support our community’s economic recovery.”
In addition to Sundays, free parking will be offered on the following days this holiday season:
December:
• Christmas Eve Day (Dec. 24)
• Christmas Day (Dec. 25)
• New Year’s Eve Day (Dec. 31)
January:
• New Year’s Day (Jan. 1)
Overnight parking rates in the structures will still apply on free-parking days. For more information, go to slocity.org/parkingguide.
French Hospital Recognized for 75 Years
To recognize the milestone 75th anniversary of French Hospital Medical Center, official proclamations from the City of San Luis Obispo, County of San Luis Obispo, and California State Legislature were recently given to hospital leadership. The documents acknowledging the decades of care provided to county residents.
In 1946, Edison French, MD, set out to meet the health care needs of the residents of San Luis Obispo. After serving in the Navy Medical Corps, Dr. French purchased the San Luis Sanitarium at 1160 Marsh Street and the doors of the original French Hospital opened to serve the county of San Luis Obispo.
The 1950s were referred to by many San Luis Obispo County health care practitioners as “The Golden Years,” according to Sara San Juan, director of marketing and communications. During this decade, the county grew to a population of over 50,000 and the need for specialist doctors arose.
In 1972, as the community continued to grow, Dr. French saw a need to expand on the facility and services, and opened the doors to a larger French Hospital at its currently location on Johnson Avenue.
Dr. French passed away in 1985, but his memory and the contributions he made to local health care are still appreciated to date.
Today, as the community continues to grow, French Hospital is growing as well As such, French Hospital is building the hospital of the future, Your New French Hospital, a culmination of a vision of superior health care and a pledge to care for the community, well into the future.
Upcoming work will transform the current campus and set the standard for care on the Central Coast with:
• A welcome center for patients and their families
• A private admitting area
• A four-story patient care tower
• Private patient suites – the only private patient rooms in SLO county
• Advanced neonatal and adult critical care
• A helistop for life threatening emergencies
• Enhanced services and technology
• Healing views of the San Luis Mountains and a Rooftop Garden Terrace
To learn more about Your New French Hospital, visit gobeyondhealth.org. Readers can also follow “75 Years of French” on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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