PG&E Discounts For Those In Need | Food Pantries: Saturday Smiles

Need a break from the bad news? If you are looking for some lighter news for your weekend, check out these sweet NorCal stories.

Lab In Livermore Assists In National Swab Shortage

• “We were looking at where we could contribute,” said LLNL engineer Angela Tooker, who led the swab testing effort.

Pooch Portraits Benefit Animal Causes

• Called the Pandemic Pet Project, a Castro Valley man is creating abstract drawings from animal photos in exchange for donations to rescues.

Dublin Smoothie Spot Donates Drinks To First Responders

• Vitality Bowls in Dublin is donating smoothies to first responders for every smoothie purchased.

Sign Up For PG&E Discount

• PG&E offers residents up to 20 percent off their monthly bills, no coupon needed. There's been a surge of sign-ups since coronavirus layoffs.

Free Food Distribution In San Leandro Every Friday

• If you're struggling to put food on the table — these free farm-fresh groceries will help.

Stanford Students, Faculty Create Community Resources Website

• The newly launched website helps Bay Area residents find a broad variety of critical resources.

Mill Valley School Increases Capacity At Pop Up Food Pantry

• The food pantry can now feed 375 families each Friday.

Solano Youth Invited To 'Mental Health Mondays' Zoom Webchats

• The successful series has received positive feedback and is now extended through June.

'Medical Miracle' Rep. Mark DeSaulnier: Video Message

• Months after being hospitalized for pneumonia, the congressman is on the mend and says that he will seek reelection in November.

Self-Driving Shuttle Given Green Light Again In Dublin

• In February, France-based EasyMile was forced to stop all passenger operations in the United States after a passenger fell from her seat.

Giant South Bay Grass Mural Honors Memorial Day Heroes

• The mural was created Friday on a South Bay golf course by Pleasanton-based New Ground Technology.

If you have an idea for a nice news story in your town, let us know. Email your story tips to autumn.johnson@patch.com.