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COVID-19 has hit restaurants hard, forcing many to brace for an uncertain future and even shutter permanently. But some Metro Detroit restaurants and chefs are not only figuring out ways to survive, but also give back at the same time.

Ron Bartell, owner of Kuzzos Chicken and Waffles, reopened the popular Avenue of Fashion restaurant at arguably the worst time March 14, two days before Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered all restaurants to halt dine-in services. But that hasnt stopped Bartell from giving back even though his restaurant is facing an unprecedented challenge of navigating a pandemic. Hes part of a collective of restaurateurs and chefs dubbed Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen for Good, including chefs Maxcel Hardy of Coop Caribbean Fusion, Phil Jones of Ma Haru, and Genevieve Vang of Bangkok 96 Street Food, as well as restaurateurs like Bartell and Stephanie Byrd of The Block and Flood's Bar and Grille. The chefs have been meeting at Horatio Williams Foundation to cook donated perishable food for people facing hunger and homelessness.

Bartell isnt the only one in Metro Detroit helping the community as coronavirus sweeps through Detroit and Michigan, which was fourth in the nation as of Monday afternoon for confirmed cases. From food boxes for veterans and the elderly to operating a vegan food pantry, restaurants are finding new ways to help amid their own businesses struggles.

Kuzzos had been closed for the previous several months to do renovations and train staff. While the closure was planned, the construction on Livernois moved up the timeline. After several months of being closed, Bartells staff was excited to get back to work and that weekend, the restaurant saw about 900 people come through, normal business for a Saturday and Sunday.

Then he had to change the business model midstream and cut staff from 42 to 16, Bartell says. Kuzzos is doing carryout and delivery, but Bartell says hes not sure how long its sustainable. Margins are already paper thin and we still have fixed costs that arent changing.

But the communitys support is one of the reasons why Bartell wants to help those disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

Weve been blessed over the years and the community has supported us so much. We want to help where we can. [The pandemic] puts things into perspective. Money and notoriety arent everything but having each others backs, that means everything.

David Rudolph, publicist for the restaurant and most of the chefs involved in the culinary collaborative effort, says Bartell was one of the first who expressed interest in finding a way to help people in need. Then Byrd of Midtowns The Block had perishable items that would otherwise go to waste, and Hardy offered to cook whatever was available.

These owners and chefs are committed to helping Detroit so they donated some of their perishable foods to help feed those in need, Rudolph says, adding It's tough enough dealing with a worldwide pandemic, then to be homeless, hungry, and for many not knowing when, or where to find their next meal. Some may call us stupid, foolish or crazy but we are leaders who lead, want to make a difference and will not cower to the coronavirus.

Another restaurant business looking to give back is Nosh Pit in Hamtramck. The vegan restaurant is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for carryout but has lost most of its business. Last year, about 30% of Nosh Pits sales came from the restaurant, and the rest came from catering and events, says co-owner Karen Schultz. She estimates from the canceled events, the restaurant is losing $30-50,000 a month.

Despite those losses, the restaurant has found a way to spur sales while helping out through a new program that offers an anonymous way for people in need to get vegan groceries or hot meals. People can seek or offer help on Nosh Pits website, and its bringing people in, Schultz says.

We're doing the best we can. And what's nice is [customers] are buying gifts for other people and that is keeping more business going in our restaurant, she says.

From the first weekend they started, they gave away $120 in free meals and fulfilled 16 requests for grocery items. It started with trying to connect people with items like gluten-free bread, then a request from Sasha Farms for help with grocery shopping, then collecting and redistributing produce from producers.

I inadvertently set up a vegan food pantry, she says.

The pandemic has been hard on the business and her personally but Schultz says, I'm choosing to do what I can to help other people while still helping my business.

Over at Indo restaurant in Keego Harbor in Oakland County, Southwest Detroit native Nik Alonzo and his wife, Melik, started preparing for the pandemic before it took a foothold in Michigan a couple of weeks ago. The two lived in Hong Kong for several years where they still have friends, and Alonzo was hearing from them the severity of the situation. Indo enacted safety protocols, including not allowing customers or vendors into the building, to reduce exposure and slid carry-out orders through their roll-up garage dooreven before the mandate from the governor to close. That week, business was horrible, he says.

By the following week, business picked up again. He also got an idea while delivering food to a friend, a veteran with several health problems. The friend was self-isolating to stay healthy and called Alonzo if he had any food, and Alonzo was happy to deliver some.

On his way back to the restaurant, I'm just thinking to myself, you know, I bet you there's a lot of veterans that are in the exact same spot that he's in right now. They can't and maybe don't have any friends or [other support].

The Alonzos started providing food boxes for veterans, elderly, and at-risk residents, and began crowdfunding to pay for the meals, raising about $1,500 so far. Theyve been able to provide 20 meals a day for people in need for the past two weeks. He adds that he's looking for another restaurant to partner up to help and make food on days Indo can't.

Since we started this program for the veterans that actually increased our business a lot, he says. People want to help people that are helping out in their community.

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Amid challenges brought on by COVID-19, Metro Detroit chefs and restaurants find ways to give back - Concentrate

There are no new Portland restaurants in the time of COVID-19. Somehow, though, there is new pizza. Chef Joshua McFadden's new joint, Cicoria, wasn't supposed to open until spring or early summer inside the former Roman Candle space, which is still under construction. But the "tavern-style" pie developed by McFadden and baker Daniel Green was already dialed in. So with McFadden's other restaurants, Ava Gene's and Tusk, pivoting to socially distanced takeout, adding pizza to the dinner menu just made sense. Call it the longest, biggest "friends and family" preview ever. There are four standard piescheese, pepperoni, white and pomodoroplus a daily special. You can also get everything from eggs and raw cookie dough to Tusk labne and McFadden's Caesar dressing. Order online, pull into the parking lot at a pre-appointed time, open your trunk, and let an Ava Gene's staffer bring it out to you.

The pizzas are cut cross- and length-wise into little squaresthe "party" or "tavern" cut found all over the Midwest, originally in bars that had no kitchen. Not all pieces are the same. "It's like a personality test almost," says McFadden. "Like who wants a little corner, who wants the square one, who wants the inside ones? It's become kind of a funny little game at the restaurant."

But Cicoria brings quality ingredients to a style of pizza originally meant to be washed down with Schlitz. The flour is freshly milled and regional, the crust is 50 percent whole wheat, and while it's crispier than Neapolitan or a foldable New York slice, it's neither buttery nor greasy like Chicago thin crust.

The pies feature a mix of fresh mozzarella, which is hand-pulled in-house, and aged mozzarella, uncooked sauce (California tomatoes milled with salt) and Italian oregano, which comes dried on its branches. "For whatever reasonwell, no surprisethey do it best," says McFadden. "It's quite concentrated and very fragrant."

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Joshua McFadden Opened a New Pizza Restaurant in the Middle of a Pandemic. Thank Goodness. - Willamette Week

A lengthy improvement project to County Home Road begins on Monday. Getting to the completion is going to result in inconvenience for many Linn County drivers over the next 17 months.

The construction will cover County Home Road from North Center Point Road to the bridge a half-mile west of Highway 13. Work begins Monday, April 6 with the closure of County Home Road for work on Phases 2 and 3 (in green and purple below). Phase 1 (in orange below) is expected to begin in September of 2020.

The construction will consist of concrete paving and the addition of right and left-turn lanes at every intersection. Single-lane roundabouts are also being added at the C Avenue Extension and Alburnett Road intersections. Each roundabout will be designed to handle farm equipment and large trucks.

During the construction, only local traffic will be allowed on County Home Road. Traffic can cross County Home Road at any of the intersections that are not under construction at a given time. As long as there's no fresh concrete, local traffic will be able to access their properties.

A detour will be in effect for all other County Home Road traffic throughout the project. The detour is shown in the graphic above (in red). Here are the specifics:

Horsfield Construction of Epworth, Iowa is responsible for the nearly $8 million project. The contract calls for 240 working days to complete the upgrades. It's expected to be finished in August of 2021.

You can learn more about the County Home Road improvement project HERE.

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County Home Road Construction/Closures Begin Next Week - khak.com

A local construction company which has had a hand in building some of the citys favourite food joints is sending meals from Toronto restaurants to hospitals.

Build it by Design has brought to life local locations of Jollibee, Chick-fil-A, Extreme Pita, Mucho Burrito, and many more. These quick-service spots have become havens for hungry lunch-timers in Toronto.

Now, while most of the city self-isolates, small and independently-owned food joints arent getting the traffic thats necessary to keep them afloat. To support those spots, Build by Design it is placing large orders from these eateries and sending them to frontline emergency workers at hospitals in the GTA.

This will continue every week for the next four to eight weeks, George Thomas, at Build It, tells Daily Hive.

By selecting different restaurants in the city and placing large orders to support them and then sending it out to different hospitals to help the front line workers.

Already, the construction company has teamed up with Basil Box, Fidel Gastros, Masrawy Kitchen, Samis Kitchen, and Krispy Kreme, and theyre working to connect to more spots in the weeks to come.

Deliveries are set to begin on Tuesday, starting at Mount Sinai before visiting Trillium Mississauga, too. The team is also working to organize deliveries with North York General Hospital, St. Michaels, St. Josephs Health Centre, and more.

In order to identify which restaurants to align their mission with, the team at Build It looked to the eateries that are part of One Table.

The coalition of independent Canadian restaurateurs and suppliers have come together to create a unified voice for the industry during these tumultuous times.

One Table is workingin conjunction with several other organizations such asRestaurants Canada, theBritish Columbia Restaurant and Foodservices Association,andSave Hospitality which has releaseda detailed plan outlining the needsof independent restaurants in Canada.

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Local construction company sending meals to Toronto hospitals | Dished - Daily Hive

Jackson, Miss. | $459,000A 1916 Tudor Revival-Craftsman house with four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, on a 0.75-acre lot

This is one of two houses on Gillespie Street designed by Noah Webster Overstreet (1888-1973), a local architectural engineer and designer, and built on what had recently been farmland. Today, the house occupies 2 1/3 lots in the Belhaven neighborhood, a historic district about two miles northeast of the center of Jackson, the states capital, and minutes from schools (Belhaven University, Millsaps College) and health care facilities (Baptist Medical Center, University of Mississippi Medical Center).

Decorative exterior features include clay tiles inlaid in stucco, Craftsman brackets supporting the eaves, restored window boxes, accessible through upstairs windows, and hand-stenciled concrete walkways. After the roof was damaged in a storm four years ago, the owners replaced the French clay tiles and copper gutters to match the originals. They also updated the plumbing and electrical systems.

Size: 3,120 square feet

Price per square foot: $147

Indoors: The entrance is on the side of the house, through a door the owners had locally milled. To the left of the vestibule is a red living room with white-painted molding, original heart-pine floors and built-in bookshelves. This room flows through a lofty doorway with a transom window into a sunroom with arched windows, stucco walls and clay-tile floors.

Straight ahead of the entrance is a family room with a decorative brick fireplace and its own sunroom access. On the right is the updated kitchen, which has original heart-pine floorboards, subway and pressed-tin accent tiles, laminate-topped cabinetry and stainless steel appliances, including a Viking gas range. The kitchen is connected to a butlers pantry with a wall of vintage cabinets; this area flows into a sunny dining room with more examples of the robust Craftsman-style molding found throughout the main floor.

Leading out to the backyard is a large windowed room with linoleum floor tiles, built-in cabinets and a full bathroom. Currently used as a crafts room and laundry room, it could easily be converted into a bedroom. There is also a half bathroom next to the staircase, with dog-patterned wallpaper.

The second-floor landing wraps around the upper part of the staircase with the original Craftsman banister. The four bedrooms radiating from it include a master with banks of mullioned windows, a niche with a window seat, two closets and a bathroom with a combined tub and shower. One guest room is currently used as a study and has a built-in cupboard. A corner guest room has a window seat with storage and built-ins. There is also an upstairs sunroom with two walls of windows and built-ins, and a hall bathroom with a claw-foot tub.

A door in the downstairs butlers pantry opens to a staircase descending to the basement. What were once maids rooms are currently used for storage. A fireplace and the remains of a bell system to summon the staff are still there.

Outdoor space: The house has a remote-controlled driveway gate, a fenced front porch and a side garden with a gazebo and paths; it is fully enclosed in the back. The sunroom walks out to a back deck that descends to the yard, with additional multilevel decks on the other side of the house. Parking is in a rear carport, with plenty more room in the driveway.

Taxes: $2,150 (2019, with exemptions)

Contact: Lynn Fillingham, RE/MAX Marketplace, 601-941-1105; lynnfillingham.com

This third-floor unit in the Sophian Plaza, a luxury building across from Southmoreland Park, is in the heart of Kansas Citys cultural district, less than five minutes on foot from the Nelson-Atkins Museum and Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park, which it overlooks, and the same distance from the Kansas City Art Institute and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. The historic Country Club Plaza shopping center is about a half-mile away.

Size: 1,850 square feet

Price per square foot: $270

Indoors: The main entrance to the eight-story brick building with limestone and terra-cotta detail is approached through a columned forecourt. The grand lobby is clad in black-and-white marble and hung with brass chandeliers and wall sconces.

This particular unit, which is on the northeast corner and has been updated in the last decade, opens to a hallway with hardwood floors and charcoal-gray walls with white picture rail molding. (A second, service entrance was blocked to create closet space, but could be reopened.) At the end is a sitting room with the same features and color scheme; it connects through two doorways to a carpeted living room (previously a third bedroom and a sunroom that were combined) with an antique marble fireplace flanked by built-in bookshelves. On the other side is a formal dining room. All of the rooms, except the bedrooms, have plantation shutters on their large windows, and there is a built-in sound system with speakers in every room.

The kitchen has countertops and floor tile of marble, and Bosch appliances. There is also a small, marble-topped breakfast bar.

Turning left from the front entrance takes you into the master bedroom. The marble fireplace here and in the living room are gas powered and have television screens above the mantels that appear as mirrors when not in use. The en suite marble master bathroom has a waterfall shower, heated floors and another mirrored television. There is also a Bosch washer and dryer in the unit, supplementing free laundry facilities in the basement.

The guest bedroom is off the kitchen; it is carpeted and has three closets and dark-painted molding. Its en suite bathroom has Nero Marquina marble tile walls and a combined bath and shower.

Most of the furniture in the unit is for sale.

Outdoor space: A side terrace encircled by a portico offers communal seating. This unit has a deeded parking space and basement storage. (Additional parking spaces rent for $100 a month.)

Taxes: $4,885, plus a $985 monthly homeowner fee covering heat and water

Contact: Judy Rea, Brookside Real Estate Company, 816-210-7730; brooksiderealestate.com

Quaker Hill is a 12-mile-long ridge in eastern Dutchess County, N.Y., that was a mid-20th-century retreat for New York power brokers and is still popular with writers, actors, artists and gentleman farmers. In 1926, the writer and radio broadcaster Lowell Thomas bought 350 acres there and sold off parcels to his acquaintances. In 1948, Mr. Murrow paid $47,500 for this five-bedroom weekend house, which his son called Rumblewood, after the sound of the wind sweeping over the surrounding pastureland. Originally designed by George Kosmak and Ernst Payer for Charles E. Murphy, a lawyer, it was built by carpenters who worked on the Finnish Pavilion at the 1939 Worlds Fair.

The house is 5.5 miles northeast of Pawling, a village of about 8,300 people with a Metro-North stop. The area includes parks, conservation lands and a trail system including the Appalachian Trail. New York City is about 70 miles south.

The proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Face-to-Face Project, a nonprofit that helps poor communities in Africa plant and maintain victory gardens.

Size: 2,700 square feet

Price per square foot: $183

Indoors: The seller bought the property in 2015 from the estate of Cliff Carpenter, a radio, television and film actor who was blacklisted in the 1950s. He renovated the kitchen and bathrooms and replaced the windows (the roof is 15 years old). He also conducted soil testing and replaced the oil tank.

Designed to comfortably accommodate children and guests and exploit western views, the house is entered through one of two doors at the edge of a large gravel auto court. A hallway bench and open staircase were kept simple to avoid the appearance of clutter. The living room at the end of the entrance hall has a vaulted ceiling, a wood-burning stone fireplace, a long window seat and a dining area with direct access to an outdoor patio.

Around the corner of the dining area is a kitchen with skylights, red subway-tile backsplashes and a built-in banquette.

The main floor has an office (it could also be used as a bedroom or studio) with a full bathroom to the left of the entrance. A studio with views to the west and a vaulted master bedroom with a full bathroom are on the other side. A pair of bedrooms on the second floor have a Jack-and-Jill bathroom.

Outdoor space: Parking is in an attached two-car garage. The property has a 10-acre easement and offers frequent sightings this time of year of bluebirds and woodcocks.

Taxes: $21,000 (estimated)

Contact: Adam Hade, Compass, 914-804-1754; compass.com

For weekly email updates on residential real estate news, sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @nytrealestate.

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$500,000 Homes in Mississippi, Missouri and New York - The New York Times

Various people have suggested in the past that Apple should allow FaceTime for Android and Windows, in an attempt to make it the default standard for consumer video calls. That idea gained new impetus when Apple launched the Group FaceTime function for calls between up to 32 people.

But the coronavirus outbreak has taken consumer group videoconferencing to a whole new level. Back in February, most non-techies had never done it in their lives. Fast-forward to now, and Zoom conferences are a completely normal thing for everyone

But Zoom is coming under increasing scrutiny and criticism over its security or lack of same.

Now, I should preface this by saying that not all of that criticism is fair. Zoom made a deliberate decision to prioritize ease of use over security, and it did so knowing that this approach made sense for most users. It also made higher security available to those who wanted it.

For example, one criticism is that, by default, all meetings organised by the same host have the same meeting ID, and thus the same joining link. This means that anyone who has ever joined one of your meetings could try the link another time and be joined to any meeting currently in progress. That is true, but hosts have the option to create a meeting-specific ID (and thus link) if they choose.

Another criticism is that meetings have no password. That is again true by default, but there is the option to set one.

So effectively, Zooms default is to make it really easy to host a meeting, but with some security holes. In practice, not huge security holes for the average virtual get-together with family or friends, because theres not much incentive for a bad guy to try to join, and the small numbers of people mean that an unfamiliar name joining is going to be spotted. All the same, the company should flag these to new users, and highlight the more secure options.

A third criticism is that Zoom calls dont use end-to-end encryption. Thats not unusual: most videoconferencing apps dont, because its extremely difficult to implement without compromising ease of use. What is bad, however, is that Zooms marketing materials lie about it. The company claims to offer end-to-end encryption when it doesnt.

Theres other undeniably bad stuff.

Zoom was, for example, using an extremely sketchy method to make browser sessions easy. The result was that a website could potentially activate your Mac webcam even if you removed the Zoom app. That was fixed, but Zoom shouldnt have been taking that approach in the first place.

Zoom was also using a Facebook API which sent data to the service. Lots of apps use Facebook analytics, but Zoom was breaking the rules by not declaring this in its privacy policy. This too has been fixed.

All of which means that, as more people learn about the issues, theres increasing opportunity for a secure, privacy-focused alternative.

For an all-Apple chat, Group FaceTime is the obvious answer. Its almost as easy to use as Zoom, but has much better security. All participants, for example, need an Apple ID, and all need to be explicitly invited to join the call. And FaceTime, impressively, does use end-to-end encryption.

But FaceTime is currently useless for most family and friend get-togethers because you cant use it unless everyone you want to include owns Apple kit. Thats almost never the case.

If Apple offered FaceTime for Android and Windows, it could easily replace Zoom right now as the go-to option for most consumers. It would also be a huge win for Apples customers, as we would then be able to use our (likely) favourite video chat app with everyone.

Of course, a couple of immediate objections come to mind.

First, FaceTime is one of the benefits of the Apple ecosystem. Its one of the reasons to buy an iPhone rather than an Android phone, for example.

Second, there isnt time for Apple to do it now. It takes time and resources to create FaceTime for Android and Windows apps, and assuming that Apple has never played with the idea internally before now, it would be starting from scratch. You might argue that by the time Apple had the apps ready, the lockdowns would be all over and the need for them would be much reduced.

But Id counter both arguments. On the ecosystem front, Apple could turn this into a big PR and marketing opportunity. Create the apps, and announce that they are being made available for free for the duration of the crisis, however long that might be. Thats good PR.

Then, if it really wants to, switch off access when things are back to normal, and suddenly you have a bunch of Android and Windows users who really love a feature they can only get using Apple products.

Alternatively, and better for Apples PR and bottom line, offer it as a low-cost service for non-Apple users. Say $1.99 a month. Or how about this: the non-Apple versions can receive calls free of charge, but need to pay a monthly fee to be able to initiate them? Voila, another string to Apples Services revenue, and an incentive to switch to an Apple device.

On the time front, Apple likely has a lot more time than most people think. While governments are currently talking about lockdown periods of a few weeks, no health professionals believe that is a likely scenario. The consensus view among medical experts seems to be that the lockdown is likely to be in place for around three months with perhaps even a second lockdown over the winter. So Apple has time.

Thats my view, then: that Apple should seize the opportunity to create FaceTime for Android and Windows apps, and make it the new default consumer videoconferencing app. What say you? Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.

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Opinion: FaceTime for Android and Windows could make it the new default - 9to5Mac

With the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic raging all over the globe, some malware authors have developed malware that destroys infected systems, either by wiping files or rewriting a computer's master boot record (MBR).

With help from the infosec community, ZDNet has identified at least five malware strains, some distributed in the wild, while others appear to have been created only as tests or jokes.

The common theme among all four samples is that they use a coronavirus-theme and they're geared towards destruction, rather than financial gain.

MBR-rewriting malware

Of the four malware samples found by security researchers this past month, the most advanced were the two samples that rewrote MBR sectors.

Some advanced technical knowledge was needed to create these strains as tinkering with a master boot record is no easy feat and could easily result in systems that didn't boot at all.

The first of the MBR-rewriters was discovered by a security researcher that goes by the name of MalwareHunterTeam, and detailed in a report from SonicWall this week. Using the name of COVID-19.exe, this malware infects a computer and has two infection stages.

In the first phase, it just shows an annoying window that users can't close because the malware has also disabled the Windows Task Manager.

While users attempt to deal with this window, the malware is silently rewriting the computer's master boot record behind their back. It then restarts the PC, and the new MBR kicks in, blocking users into a pre-boot screen.

Users can eventually regain access to their computers, but they'll need special apps that can be used to recover and rebuild the MBR to a working state.

But there was a second coronavirus-themed malware strain that re-wrote the MBR. This one is a far more convoluted malware operation.

It posed as the "CoronaVirus ransomware" but it was only a facade. The malware's primary function was to steal passwords from an infected host and then mimic ransomware to trick the user and mask its real purpose.

However, it wasn't ransomware either. It only posed as one. Once the data-stealing operations ended, the malware entered into a phase where it rewrote the MBR, and blocked users into a pre-boot message, preventing access to their PCs. With users seeing ransom notes and then not being able to access their PCs, the last thing users would thing to do is to check if someone exfiltrated passwords from their apps.

According to analysis from SentinelOne security researcher Vitali Kremez and Bleeping Computer, the malware also contained code to wipe files on the user's systems, but this didn't appear to be active in the version they analyzed.

Furthermore, this one was also spotted twice, with a second version discovered by G DATA malware researcher Karsten Hahn, two weeks later. This time, the malware kept the MBR-rewriting capabilities but replaced the data wiping feature with a functional screen-locker.

But security researchers have spotted more than coronavirus-themed MBR-rewriters. They also spotted two data wipers.

Both were discovered by MalwareHunterTeam.

The first was spotted back in February. It used a Chinese file name, and most likely targeted Chinese users, although we don't have information if it was distributed in the wild or was just a test.

The second was spotted yesterday, and this one was found uploaded on the VirusTotal portal by someone located in Italy.

MalwareHunterTeam described both strains as "poor wipers" because of the inefficient, error-prone, and time-consuming methods they used to erase files on infected systems. However, they worked, which made them dangerous if ever spread in the wild.

It might seem weird that some malware authors create destructive malware like this, but it's not the first time that this happened. For every financially-motivated malware strain that security researchers discover, there's also one that was created as a joke, just for the giggles. Something similar happened during the WannaCry ransomware outbreak in 2017, when days after the original WannaCry ransomware encrypted computers all over the world, there were countless of clones doing the same thing for no apparent reason.

Originally posted here:
There's now COVID-19 malware that will wipe your PC and rewrite your MBR - ZDNet

A Whiteinch social enterprise company is desperately seeking funds to help feed people affected by the lockdown.

Well-Fed Scotland is turning out 1,500 meals a day for self-isolating and vulnerable groups even though its income has all but dried up.

The community interest company was set up in 2017 and operates out of The Whiteinch Centre in Northinch Court.

The enterprise company operates from the Whiteinch Centre

Managing director Chris Gray said the enterprise had been forced to switch its trading model entirely following the coronavirus outbreak.

It runs a cafe and childrens clubs and does catering with all profits going back into the community.

It has now set up a Crowdfunder page and is seeking to raise 20,000 to keep serving its meals.

Chris said: When this outbreak started to have an impact we saw a sharp decline in sales which was replaced with an enormous increase in people looking for support.

On the 14 March we made the decision to stop all our trading and focus solely on providing meals to people in need.

We have seen a lot of change. We have gone from helping people suffering financially or with mental health or through addiction, to anyone and everyone across society who are either too scared to go out, are self-isolating or are vulnerable with underlying health conditions.

We are working with a whole range of different people.

Today we provided 1,500 free meals.

The Well-Fed cafe

Well-Fed is also offering emergency food parcels.

Supermarkets such as Morrisons are helping out with things like bread.

The social enterprise firm typically covers Whiteinch, Scotstoun, Knightswood, Drumchapel, potentially Maryhill.

But its meals are now being delivered to Lambhill, Milton and Cadder and also areas in the south, Govan, Cardonald, Mosspark.

The team is made up of 13 staff members and 12 volunteers some of whom are chefs who are giving up their time to cook meals.

Chris said: We have benefitted massively from donations from some of the restaurants that have closed in the last few weeks.

When this out break started to have an impact we saw a sharp decline in sales which was replaced with an enormous increase in people looking for support

Chris Gray

Those donations are starting to dry up but supermarkets like Morrisons and Sainsburys have been donating things.

We have managed to keep the food stock going but in terms of the meal production we pretty much buy everything, including all the plastic packaging and labels.

He added: We set the Crowdfunded up as a stop gap up until we can access the governments support package.

The Crowdfunded if successful would give us about a four-week window to allow us to continue to operate and reach out to people who need help.

Chris said they were keen to hit their target within the time to allow them to access the money for when it is needed.

* The campaign runs out at midnight on Friday April 3. The Crowdfunder page can be found here.

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NEWS: Well-Fed Scotland needs 20,000 to feed people in lockdown - Glasgow West End Today

As a photographer, Cara Soulia feels her purpose is to document life. Its why she left a successful career in finance five years ago to pick up her camera full-time. So when thecoronaviruspandemic began to take hold of Soulias cozy Boston suburb, closing schools and forcing residents indoors, she worried about more than just her finances.

Even though this is negative, its historic and needs to be documented, said Soulia, who lives in Needham, Massachussetts. I couldnt help but think, How am I going to document this time in history?' Then I got the call from Kristen.

Kristen Collins helps Soulia market her family photographybusiness. She had been considering a similar question over coffee when she had a flashbulb idea: Why dont we go to these families and capture this moment in their lives where they are in their homes?

Or to be more specific and socially distant, in front of their homes. The Front Steps Project was launched on St. Patricks Day, and it has since raised almost $20,000 for charity.

Soulia and Collins started by pitching the idea to a handful of close friends and clients. Soulia would drive over, honk, and the family would be dressed and ready to step out the front door. Soulia would come no closer than 10 feet and do her best to pose them.

Im used to being up close and moving them, Soulia said. Im not used to posing people with my words I dont even know everyones names.

Once she gets the girl on the end or the dad in the frame and looking at her, she snaps a few shots and is on her way. In lieu of payment, she requests a donation to the Needham Community Council, a nonprofit that works to address health, educational and social needs in the community.

Thanks to social media and word of mouth, Soulia and Collins were soon overloaded with requests through their online application form. Two other area photographers, Caitrin Dunphy and Topher Cox, joined the project. Together, they have shot nearly 400 Needham families.

Perhaps even more inspiring was the response from other communities around the country as news of the Front Steps Project stretched to Georgia toIndianato California. More than 250 photographers contacted Soulia and Collins looking to capture their neighborhoods and raise money for local causes. A studio in South Carolina has families hold up a sign with a word or two about what this time has meant to their families. Aphotographer in Michigan calls them "porchraits."

Now that pandemic has intensified, Soulia and Collins want to set another example for their fellow photographers:hitting pause. As of this week, The Front Steps Project is joining the movement to flatten the curve.

We knew wed have a stay-at-home order, Collins said. We want to respect our government and community. We want the other photographers to see us as leaders who say when its time to stop, its time to stop.

While Soulia and her 10-year-old daughter/navigator were hustling around the neighborhood, frantically clicking the shutter button, they didnt have time to stop to appreciate what they were doing. Now on hiatus, Soulia has had a chance to go back and really look at the images: families wearing everything from slacks to PJs, huddling together, trying to smile through one fleeting moment of normalcy in a time of staggering uncertainty.

One of the most important moments was when we connected with the local hospital, Soulia said. There were nine ER doctors in blue scrubs with masks on. It was everything. The story of what was happening. I didnt have time to process it at the moment. When I got home, I couldnt help but cry.

Tony Rehagen is a freelance writer in St. Louis

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Front porch portraits document home life in the time of coronavirus - USA TODAY

Since her classes are now all remote due to the coronavirus pandemic, Anderson emailed her teacher for help, rather than ask for it in the classroom.

She expected some emails, or maybe even a phone call from her teacher, Mr. Chris Waba.

But then the doorbell rang -- and she saw Waba, standing on her porch, holding a whiteboard and marker, ready to teach.

The Madison, South Dakota student said while trying to complete her math homework, she couldn't ask her parents for help because they weren't home. Plus, she said, they wouldn't have been much help anyway.

"My mom got all the questions wrong when she helped me before," Anderson told CNN.

When Waba received Anderson's email, he responded -- but could tell she was still struggling with the lesson.

For 10 minutes or so, Waba squatted on Rylee's porch as he went through three math equations. Rylee stood on the other side of the screen door, nodding her head as she followed along and took notes.

"He made it easier to understand," Rylee said. "I appreciated him coming over."

Rylee's dad, Josh Anderson, who is the head coach of Dakota State University's football team, shared the moment on Twitter. His post has since garnered hundreds of retweets and thousands of likes.

"The picture just shows the length that which teachers will go to help their students at any cost during these times," Josh Anderson said.

Waba, who has been teaching at Madison Middle School for 27 years, said it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

"I'm a better communicator face-to-face than (on) the telephone and I think students learn better that way," Waba said. "Teachers all across the nation have been thrown into a situation like this. I think we're all more comfortable being in front of our classes and that's where we'd rather be."

By the end of their lesson, Waba said he could tell Rylee finally understood the concept because she smiled and thanked him.

"That's what teachers are looking for, those smiles," Waba said. "That's the joy of being a teacher and that's what we do it for."

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Math teacher shows up at student's front porch to give her a one-on-one lesson while social distancing - CNN