In the latest Around Town column, news about a local restaurant's T-shirt fundraiser to benefit Ukraine relief efforts and local organizations recognized with a 2022 Stanford Community Partnership Award.

SHIRTS FOR A CAUSE ... Much like the Arlo Guthrie song that bears its name, the Woodside institution Alice's Restaurant is staunchly anti-war.

When Russian soldiers invaded Ukraine in late February, restaurant co-owner Andy Kerr felt compelled to do something to help the people fleeing the besieged Eastern European nation. "We have a lot of Ukrainian customers, as well as a lot of companies that employ Ukrainian tech workers," Kerr said. "Some are small companies with about 10 employees, others have 200."

Kerr spoke to one engineer about a possible fundraiser to support Ukraine and the growing number of refugees fleeing their country, a number that now exceeds 2 million, according to the United Nations. "We wanted to do something that will either help the people who are fleeing by providing them with food and clothing, or that will help Ukraine," said Kerr, who co-owns the restaurant with his brother, Jamie. They decided to start selling T-shirts, which will feature the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag and the words "I Stand with Ukraine" as well as the restaurant's logo.

The restaurant ordered an initial run of 144 shirts, which were expected to be available on Friday, March 11, and which will sell for $25, with all proceeds going to assist people in Ukraine. Customers also will have the option of donating additional money to support relief organizations in the European country, which will be selected by the restaurant's Ukrainian partners. Kerr said the goal is to sell 1,000 T-shirts and to help spread awareness in the community about the ongoing war.

BETTER TOGETHER ...Winners of the 2022 Stanford Community Partnership Awards are familiar organizations that have made a wide-ranging impact on the Midpeninsula. The three recipients were selected based on their collaboration with the university to address real-world problems and further the public good, according to an article by the Stanford Report.

"Health needs have been foremost among community needs during the pandemic, and these awardees embody the way successful partnerships meet the moment," Megan Swezey Fogarty, Stanford's associate vice president of community engagement, said in the article. The award recipients were recognized at a March 4 luncheon.

One of the winners was allcove, a network of mental health care clinics created with the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing. The clinics, dedicated to teens and young adults, launched in Palo Alto and San Jose last summer. Allcove is the product of a yearslong effort by Santa Clara County health officials in response to a local mental health crisis.

Nonprofit Avenidas also was recognized for its work in helping Stanford families and seniors deal with the challenges brought on by the pandemic. The Avenidas-Stanford Elder Care Partnership offered an array of support services, including finding health care; assistance with financial and legal issues; and dealing with the challenges brought by caregiving, isolation and separation.

The third award recipient was Promotoras de Salud Community of Practice, which was formed through the iSi Se Puede! Collective, for its work in providing COVID-19 vaccine and testing information to Spanish speakers who live in needy ZIP codes in San Jose. The idea began with Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa, associate director of research at the Stanford School of Medicine's Office of Community Engagement, whose team banded together with the collective.