This story was updated to reflect a change in the county’s plan to provide food assistance and to correct the location of Rich City Kickback.
There is plenty to keep you entertained, educated and civically engaged this week in Richmond and nearby.
Highlights include: The kickoff of Contra Costa County’s emergency food debit card program; several events honoring Veterans Day, which is Tuesday; a community wellness event, a workshop on composting with worms and kitchen scraps; and a pickleball tournament.
For more, see our list of ongoing things to do in Richmond (many of which are free). Also, don’t forget to add your holiday events to our free community calendar. Select events will be featured in our annual holiday things-to-do roundup. You can also email us at hello@richmondside.com and note “Holiday calendar” in the subject line. Cheers!
- Contra Costa County food debit card distribution
- Flag ceremonies in San Pablo, El Cerrito, Pinole will honor veterans
- Festival Opera at the Mac returns
- Wellness event to feature mental health care, community healing
- Open house seeks input on McBryde Avenue improvements
- Community walk to raise money for ALS treatment, cures
- Year-end celebration for history museum features music, presentations
- Pickleball tournament for advanced beginners, intermediate players
- Register now for Sobrante Ridge bird watching hike
- Tips on composting with worms, kitchen scraps
- Public meeting focuses on actionable goals for school district
- Information seminar on Medicare enrollment
- Related stories
Contra Costa County food debit card distribution
Contra Costa County officials announced Friday they will not begin distributing pre-loaded debit cards to CalFresh recipients the week of Nov. 10 as originally planned. CalFresh is the state’s version of the national federal SNAP food assistance program that has been thrown into limbo by the federal government shutdown.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved $21 million for two weeks’ worth of emergency food assistance. Officials said the money will remain on hand in case it’s needed if the government shutdown continues.
Anyone who does not receive their CalFresh benefits by Mon., Nov. 10 should call or visit the county Employment and Human Services Department, which in Richmond is at 1305 Macdonald Ave.
To find local free food distribution sites, visit the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano’s Find Food in My City page. You can also call (855) 309-FOOD (3663).
Additional resources include: CAfoodbanks.org, Contra Costa Crisis Center (also call 988 or 800- 273-8255 or text “HOPE” to 20121); and the 211 Contra Costa Database — Contra Costa Crisis Center, which has a comprehensive database of local health and social services for Contra Costa residents.
Community members can also visit ehsd.org for CalFresh updates related to the federal government shutdown.
Flag ceremonies in San Pablo, El Cerrito, Pinole will honor veterans
Three west Contra Costa County cities will mark Veterans Day, which is Tue., Nov. 11, with ceremonies.
San Pablo officials will hold their event on Thur., Nov. 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Church Lane Senior Center, 1943 Church Lane, San Pablo.
The El Cerrito Lions Club will hold its annual flag placement ceremony on Tue., Nov. 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Sunset View Cemetery, 101 Colusa Ave., El Cerrito.
The city of Pinole will honor veterans with speeches and a flag retirement ceremony on Tue., Nov. 11, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Fernandez Park, 595 Tennett Ave., Pinole
Festival Opera at the Mac returns
Catch a night at the opera at a historic hotel in Point Richmond.
This month’s Festival Opera at the Mac will feature Point Richmond pianist Michael Adachi performing Friday.
The series, which began on July 11, presents opera on the first Friday of every month at Biancoverde, the Italian restaurant inside the Hotel Mac.
The next opera evening will be Dec. 5. The monthly events are described as an operatic jam session that gathers opera artists from all over the Bay Area.
Festival Opera at the Mac, Fri., Nov. 7, 50 Washington Ave., 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Free but registration is recommended.
Wellness event to feature mental health care, community healing
The community is being invited to a day of holistic care and artistry.
The Rich City Kick Back 2025 will feature no-cost haircuts, a community clothing rack, fresh produce and resources.
The free event will also include more than a dozen local businesses and healing practitioners offering services and giveaways. Local performers and artists will be on hand.
In addition, members of the Yes Nature to Neighborhoods’ Teaching Racial Environmental Empowerment Series (TREES) will share their call to action for the city of Richmond to provide mental health and healing resources for young adults.
One of the group’s focuses is the impact of substance use and drug law enforcement efforts in communities of color.
Rich City Kick Back 2025, Sat., Nov. 8, 1 p.m., Richmond City Recreation Complex, 3230 Macdonald Ave.
Open house seeks input on McBryde Avenue improvements
City officials will be available Saturday morning to answer questions and receive input on proposed improvements to McBryde Avenue in east Richmond.
The Community Open House will focus on a project that aims to provide a safe and convenient walking and biking route along McBryde Avenue from Wildcat Canyon Regional Park to 37th Street.
The project would include pavement fixes, audible pedestrian signals, new, more visible crosswalks and restriping of bicycle lanes.
One of the goals is to provide bicyclists and pedestrians with better access to the San Pablo Avenue corridor.
McBryde Avenue Community Open House, Sat., Nov. 8, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Café McBryde, 4921 McBryde Ave.
Community walk to raise money for ALS treatment, cures
A walk in the park is scheduled to raise funds for the treatment and cure of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
The East Walk & Roll to Cure ALS is open to participants who want to honor someone living with ALS or remember a loved one lost to the neurological disease or to simply support the entire ALS community.
“Your fundraising accelerates progress toward discovering treatments and cures for ALS,” event organizers said.
East Walk & Roll to Cure ALS, Sat., Nov. 8, 9:30 a.m., Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, 900 Dornan Drive, Richmond
Year-end celebration for history museum features music, presentations
The Richmond Museum of History and Culture and the Richmond Museum Association, which oversees the museum, are holding their annual year-end celebration.
Members will provide presentations on their accomplishments during the past year.
There will also be food, drinks and music from the 1930s to the 1950s from the Nick Rossi Trio.
A silent auction will also be held where you can bid on historic artifacts, fine wines and spirits, tours and sailing lessons.
Richmond Museum End of Year Celebration, Sat., Nov. 8, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Richmond Galileo Club, 371 South 23rd St. Tickets start at $75 plus fees.
Pickleball tournament for advanced beginners, intermediate players
The Richmond Parkway YMCA is hosting a pickleball tournament for advanced beginners and intermediate-level players this weekend.
The pickleball tournament is for Division I intermediate players as well as Division II advanced beginners.
Intermediate competitors will play from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Advanced beginners will compete from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
There will also be a mixed doubles tournament on Sat., Nov. 15. Registration is open for that competition.
You must be at least 18 years old to compete.
Pickleball tournament, Sat., Nov. 8, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Richmond Parkway YMCA, 4300 Lakeside Drive. Entry fee is $15 for Richmond YMCA members and $40 for non-members.
Register now for Sobrante Ridge bird watching hike
Registration closes this evening for a weekend bird watching hike in the hills of east Richmond.
The Sobrante Ridge Regional Park hike will be led by members of the Golden Gate Bird Alliance.
The free outing will take participants through the chaparral, scrub, grassland and coast live oak woodland areas of the park.
Birds that are likely to be seen include Hutton’s vireo, Bewick’s wren, California and spotted towhees, the wrentit and raptors.
The hike is limited to 15 people. Registration closes at 11 p.m. on Thur., Nov. 6.
Golden Gate Bird Alliance hike, Sat., Nov. 8, 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Sobrante Ridge Regional Park, Heavenly Ridge Lane
Tips on composting with worms, kitchen scraps
A special gardening seminar will provide information on composting with worms, kitchen scraps and other household materials.
The Atchison Village Vermicomposting workshop will bring together residents of the western Richmond neighborhood.
Attendees are asked to arrive in proper gardening attire. Materials, including worm bins, will be provided.
The main goals of the free seminar are to improve the environment and build food independence. It has been organized by the California Volunteers program.
Atchison Village Vermicomposting workshop, Sun., Nov. 9, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Exact address provided after registration.
Public meeting focuses on actionable goals for school district
The West Contra Costa Unified School District is holding the latest in a series of public meetings early next week to get input from residents on the district’s financial issues.
The fiscal stabilization plan was launched by Superintendent Cheryl Cotton in September as a way to inform the public of the district’s financial situation and to get feedback.
The series of in-person and virtual meetings began on Sept. 15 and continues through May of 2026.
The first phase dealt with budget assessments. The second phase focused on root causes of the district’s budget deficit. The current third phase hones in on attainable goals.
West Contra Costa Unified School District budget meeting, Wed., Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Richmond High School library, 1250 23rd St. Meetings will also be held Nov. 13 and Nov. 20.
Information seminar on Medicare enrollment
County officials will be available next week to help answer questions during this year’s Medicare open enrollment period.
The 2026 Medicare Update seminar will provide older adults with information on health insurance plans, prescription drug coverage and out-of-pocket expenditures.
The free event has been organized by the Contra Costa County Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP).
The 2026 Medicare Open Enrollment period began on Oct. 15 and lasts until Dec. 7. Enrollment is open for people signing up for Medicare for the first time as well as recipients who want to change plans.
2026 Medicare Update seminar, Wed., Nov. 12, 1:30 p.m., Richmond Annex Senior Center, 5801 Huntington Ave. Free.
