Got to join The Jam’s morning show for Deep Dish where I shared the freelancer/consultant hacks to WFH during Coronavirus:

• Change out of your pjs into clean clothes to get your mind right (preferably shower but let’s set the bar low).

• In order to feel productive, set a list of must-dos each day with numbers attached so you can quantify your progress.

• Minimize the amount you spend scrolling/reading the news (for your own sanity).

But! I was chatting Cathy’ing and didn’t get to the good stuff which is all the resources popping up across the city to keep you sane, safe and healthy. See below and let me know if there’s anything I need to add.

Free Meals/Services

• The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group offering 400 free meals a day to all furloughed and laid off workers starting Wednesday. No contact pick-ups of pre-packaged meals will be available from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays at The Fifty/50 (2047 W Division) in Wicker Park.

  • Any furloughed or laid off worker – from restaurants, hotels, salons, retail, etc. – are welcome to a free meal, and nobody in need will be turned away. Pickups will be available from 4pm to 6:30pm Tuesdays thru Sundays at The Fifty/50 sports bar at 2047 W. Division St. in Wicker Park starting this Wednesday (March 25).

  • The free food offerings rotate daily. You can view the upcoming week’s menu here.

  • The Fifty/50 asks the following for those picking up the free meals: Please don’t take more food than you need, please bring your own grocery bag if you can, and please be patient and kind waiting in line. Strict social distancing rules will be in place for those waiting in line. Cones will be placed to mark standing spaces.

• A mental health directory is available for anyone working in the hospitality industry who needs mental health support. There are over 100 therapists on the directory who are providing low cost or pro bono services to the hospitality industry in Illinois who, as we know, have been heavily hit by the necessary restrictions. The list is not public. The list can be accessed by emailing michelle@liveandlovemindfully.com.

Community Building

• This was supposed to be White Sox Opening Day week. If you’re a Sox fan, submit your own feel good vid celebrating your love for the team. The Sox are asking for the below (keep safe social distancing in mind):

  • We’d like to collect feel-good (Sox or baseball related) footage of Chicagoans (individuals, kids, couples, pets.) showing their love for baseball/their southside team. If any small businesses are doing anything fun like a Sox-inspired special (meal promotion, dish or drink) we are happy to include and show some cross promotional love.  Small business ideas could include, but are not limited to: 

    • Their crew cooking/making to-go meals   

    • Bringing meals curbside if they are doing that 

    • Saying how they’re helping the community 

    • Waving and saying “We Miss You Sox Fans”, “We miss you White Sox”,  or “Dale Sox”     

      • All videos need be collected by 6 p.m. CT, Wednesday, March 25. Holding the phone horizontal while filming would be ideal. People can send videos to Julissa jmontes@chisox.com.

• Quarantine Book Club by Scoop Jackson on Wed, March 25, 2020 from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PDT. Scoop Jackson is out with a new book: “The Game is Not a Game The Power, Protest and Politics of American Sports.” Jackson is a national senior writer for ESPN. He has covered issues of race, culture, politics and sports for various publications for over 25 years. He is the former executive editor of XXL and Slam Magazine and former publisher of The Agenda. Part play-by-play, part op-ed, The Game Is Not a Game is an illuminating and unflinching examination of the good and evil in the sports industry. A $5 registration fee is requested by a free promo code is also available. Register here.

• Created by Chris Costoso StayHome_Chicago is an IG that's popped up that's looking for stories of what people are doing at home (and promoting staying in). DM them your pic and story.

• Michael Heidemann is doing a nightly Chicago Lockdown Livestream bringing musicians together for a live open mic night every night at 8PM 🎶 You can follow and find it on his personal page or at The Sanitized Sessions hosted by Mike Heidemann 🎶 Bringing musicians together and giving bored people something to do during this wild time!

• The Op-Ed Project is offering a free webinar on Thursday, March 26 at 5pm ET, to help people have their voices heard. Their mission is to help marginalized voices (women, POC, LGBTQ, etc.) be heard. Register here.  

  • "In a crisis, the story we tell has enormous power.  We are incredibly proud of the work that you have been doing to ensure those who are most impacted by this crisis are part of the story we tell about COVID-19. We can't predict the future but we know this much: If we are not in the story, then we will not be in the solution - and that is no solution at all." -Katie Orenstein, CEO

Things To Do Alone

• Virtual Disney rides: I’m all about this life.

• Get into Poetry. Ours Poetica has some big names (Shailene Woodley, Rainn Wilson, Terry Gross) reading their favorite modern poems to get people amped about poetry. This project arose from the Poetry Foundation here in Chicago.