Pooch Plunge
The dog paddle is sure to be the swim stroke of choice at the Pooch Plunge, set for May 16 at the Blackberry Farm pools in Cupertino. Four dog-only swim sessions, each 45 minutes long, are set for 9 a.m.-12:45 p.m. at Blackberry Farm Pools21979 San Fernando Ave.
Each dog must be registered individually at https://bit.ly/4d237Sx, and there’s a two dog limit per handler.
Empower Essentials
A Monta Vista High School student is helping the Bay Area’s homeless population get access to dental and feminine hygiene essentials.
Sakthi Satrawada started Empower Essentials after discovering that the Bay Area’s homeless population grew 6% to an estimated 38,891 people in 2024, according to new federal data. A year after its inception, the student-led nonprofit has assembled 2,000 kits for distribution to local homeless shelters. The dental hygiene kit contains toothbrushes, floss, mouthwash and toothpaste; the second kit, aimed at supporting female hygiene and comfort, contains high-quality assorted pads and tampons along with words of affirmation.The Empower Essentials team raised $3,500 by pooling members’ incomes and met monthly to assemble kits. To produce more kits, team members plan to pursue fundraising efforts.
While team members have learned how to streamline the process of sourcing and producing more kits along the way, Satrawada said the experience has been eye-opening on a personal level as well.
“Growing up in Cupertino, I’ve always been sheltered from the harsher realities of the Bay Area. Although this fortunate circumstance allowed me to have a comfortable childhood, it also made it easy to overlook the many struggles that the homeless face,” she noted. “I hope that our initiative not only empowers the homeless community but also inspires my peers to give back.”
For more information, visit empower-essentials.org.