CAMBRIDGE — As the situation regarding COVID-19 continues to develop, local groups are reaching out to spread the word about changes to their events and schedules. It remains a good idea to check on the status of goods and services before leaving home.
The Banner compiled a list of announcements over the previous week, which follows:

Hogan on Thursday
Thousands of Marylanders have answered the call to volunteer their time and talents with the Maryland Responds Reserve Medical Corps. If you have a background in health care, or if you have other skills that can support our state’s response, sign up at mdresponds.health.maryland.gov.

Translated COVID-19 info
The Maryland Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives and its ethnic commissioners are translating frequently asked questions and answers in more than 10 different languages to assist diverse communities. Information can be found in: Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, English, Farsi, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Khmer, Korean, Punjab, Spanish, Tagalog, Taiwanese Hokkien, Tamil, Urdu, Vietnamese and Yoruba. More specific answers can also be found in Spanish.
Visit https://bit.ly/39Osbd2 to view the information.

DCS information
Transportation — Essential rides only and residents within Cambridge and Easton must call in for your rides. 410-221-1910 for Cambridge and 410-822-4155 for Easton
Food Pantry — The door is locked but please call 410-901-2996 as staff is there to help. Bags will be brought to the cars
Senior Meals — We are able to help more Dorchester Co seniors receive home delivered meals. Call 410-221-1930 $2.50 a meal.
Letters to Seniors — Kids shut in? They can write to a shut-in senior. Project Lemonade c/o Mary Handley DCS, 2450 Cambridge Beltway, Cambridge MD 21613 or email them to maryh@dcsdct.org. Notes will be delivered in the meals.
Smiles for seniors — Partnership with Emily’s Produce. Customers at Emily’s will result in a flower being sent to shut in seniors on Good Friday. Call Emily’s 443-521-0789
General information questions/needs for DCS call 410-221-1930.

St. Paul’s UMC
St. Paul’s UMC will have a food pantry this Saturday. Must show up in a car to Sailwinds parking lot. Registration begins at 8 a.m. at Sailwinds. Drivers will be directed where to get their food. Ready-packed boxes will be placed into their cars.

Whom to call
If you have questions on COVID-19 topics, call the following numbers: Maryland Hotline at 211; Dorchester County Health Department at 410-228-3223; University of Maryland Medical System Nurse Line at 1-888-713-0711; Peninsula Regional Medical Center Nurse Line at 410-912-6889; Activity/business restrictions visit governor.maryland.gov/coronavirus or call Dorchester County State’s Attorney at 410-228-3611. Call 911 only for emergencies.

CDC on Saturday
If you’re pregnant or recently had a baby, everyday precautions can help you protect against COVID-19.
• Put distance between yourself and others.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Learn about pregnancy and coronavirus at https://bit.ly/2xEPPeU.

DoCo Health Department on Sunday
Emergency shelters are still available for victims of domestic violence. The Mid Shore Council on Family Violence hotline is available 24/7/365 at 1-800-927-4673. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you would like more information, please visit https://mscfv.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/mscfv/.

YMCA on Tuesday
The Pauline F. & W. David Robbins Family YMCA is an Essential Personnel School Age Child Care site. As outlined in the Governor’s Executive Order, if you are a provider of health care, emergency medical services, law enforcement or other essential personnel in need of school age childcare, please contact us at: dorchesterkids@ymcachesapeake.org.

Dorchester Tourism
Join in across Dorchester County and Cambridge in brightening our paths. Post your chalk art online and Downtown Cambridge will select a piece to profile each day. Make sure to “tag” your post with one or both of the following…#docochalkart #cambridgechalkart

Secretary
Road work coming to Secretary, WES Road April 13-15. On March 31, the Town of Secretary announced that the parks on Linden Avenue and Main Street are closed until further notice. Do not use any of the facilities or the playground. Administrators regret the inconvenience but say safety is first.

Shore Health
Care Coordinatoom Department (UM Shore Regional Health) is seeking volunteers to sew masks. We are trying to conserve PPE for our nurses and doctors that need it for direct patient care. Contact Angela Dodd Meekins on Facebook.

Dorchester Tourism
Looking for ways to help our local businesses? Here are two ideas:
• Buy a gift card to enjoy later. Either contact your favorite businesses directly to buy one, or check out the page where Downtown Cambridge is offering online gift certificates for 12 businesses at this link: bit.ly/347Xlew
• Write a positive review about your favorite businesses on Yelp, Google, Facebook, TripAdvisor, etc. Or give them a shout-out or some words of encouragement directly through their social media!
• If you’re able, try to order carry-out from a local restaurant.
We look forward to the day when we can chat in person with our friendly merchants again!

Shop local…online
Some of Dorchester County’s shops that had to close because of COVID-19 are now offering items and spring products online.

YMCA of the Chesapeake
So many of us are doing our part, staying home to stop the spread of COVID-19. Y members are doing so much more. They’re supporting the children of critical staff and first responders where the Y is providing shelter of care. They’re supporting efforts to ensure older adults and families that are food insecure are receiving meals. They’re making sure isolated Y members are receiving regular calls to check on their wellbeing. By remaining a member during this challenging time, Y members are supporting those in need and ensuring the Y will remain a cornerstone of the community. So to all those Y members out there — thank you!

Sanitary homes
Stop the spread of COVID-19 while working from home. Clean and then disinfect high touch surfaces such as tables, desks, phones, tablets, and keyboards. For electronic devices, follow the manufacturer’s instructions or use alcohol-based wipes or sprays containing at least 70% alcohol.

Sandy Hill Elementary
Are you up for a challenge? We would like to see how many people we can get involved in thanking our essential workers who are putting themselves out there on the front lines everyday to help us stay safe and to keep us moving forward.
Some examples would be doctors, nurses, police officers, grocery store workers, post office workers, our own cafeteria and food service workers, fire and EMT responders, etc.
You pick who you would like to thank and make a sign thanking those people. Take a picture of yourself with your sign and send it to our Sandy Hill Facebook Messenger, or to fuchss@dcpsmd.org. Multiple submissions are welcomed.
We want to challenge all who see this post to take a moment to be creative, and give thanks. Despite all that is going on around us, starting and ending our days with a grateful heart makes our world a little brighter.
Please send your pictures by April 10. Sending everyone love and hugs from your Sandy Hill staff.