Making Easter bear-able for those in need

In the weeks since the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused restaurants in the Valley to restructure their business, the area has been witness to multiple acts of kindness. As was reported previously (see "It's about helping others" on page 10 of the April 1 Saratoga Sun), one example of kindness was that of the Saratoga TechKids/SkillsUSA purchasing gift cards from all 10 Valley restaurants. 

This goodwill, however, is not isolated just to the Valley. Thanks to a number of monetary donations from both in the area and elsewhere in the country, the BearTrap Cafe and Bar (BearTrap) in Riverside was able to donate over 40 meals to families in need over the Easter weekend.

In the same style as the, currently, regular Take and Bake meals, Easter dinner from the BearTrap consisted of ham, green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes, candied yams, rolls and salad.

"I can't take a whole lot of credit for that," said Margaret Weber, owner of the Bear Trap.

Due to the donations made to the BearTrap, Weber was able to make 43 donated meals for Easter and still have enough funds to allow for additional donated meals in the coming weeks. According to Weber, this all happened organically and wasn't something that she had planned and it all began with her friend Jeff and his husband Dave.

"My friend Jeff in Washington D.C., when I first put the BearTrap Bucks online, he said 'Hey, put Dave and I down for $150 in BearTrap Bucks' and then sent me a note that said 'Pass these on to somebody that's been laid off' or whatever the case may be. Then I had other friends from Seattle asking if they could do the same thing," Weber said. "I was just kind of stunned by that. Then, I put something on Facebook. There were so many people that were donating that weren't ordering meals for themselves. I was just shocked."

Weber said, after that, people came out of the woodwork to donate money to go towards meals for those in need. Some of them, according to Weber, have never eaten at the BearTrap.

"I thought maybe four or five people could get meals. I had no idea it would be 10 times that plus what's left over," said Weber.

The statement of "what's left over" implies that enough donations were made to last for a significant amount of time. While she didn't go into detail, Weber said that she believes that there are enough funds to allow her to donate meals for the next four to five weeks and, hopefully, until the current public health orders are lifted. She believes that part of the longevity is due to the difficulty of some people in the area to ask for help.

"It's not the easiest thing in the world to do to text me and call me up and say 'Hey, I need a meal,'" Weber said. "We live in an area with a lot of proud people and so, I think that's a difficult task and I think that will decrease the amount of people that are wanting but I just want people to know that if I have the food available and haven't sold out, then absolutely I'll provide meals."

Weber has already contacted some individuals she knows and informed them that she will donate meals when needed and provide them a menu on a weekly basis. 

"There's a handful of folks from the senior center or that are pretty much house-ridden that I will just randomly take meals to if they are willing to accept them," said Weber.

The owner of the BearTrap has hopes that some of those who are benefiting from the generosity of others will consider paying it forward if they find themselves on firmer ground in the future.

Those who may need a meal can contact Weber by calling 307-710-2004 and making a request. The weekly menu of Take and Bake meals that Weber prepares can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Beartrap2019/.