‘Yes’ to Every Eligible Senior: SOS Meals on Wheels Partners with Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (AD-15) and Lyft to Feed Alameda County Seniors During COVID-19 Pandemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2020
Contact: Daniel Ashbrook, Development Director
(510) 470-7834 / dan@sosmow.org
‘Yes’ to Every Eligible Senior: SOS Meals on Wheels Partners with Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (AD-15) and Lyft to Feed Alameda County Seniors During COVID-19 Pandemic
Impactful new program expands capacity, fills gaps in service during public health crisis
OAKLAND – The COVID-19 pandemic could have been the perfect storm to send SOS Meals on Wheels’ service offerings into a tailspin. As the public health crisis increased demand by compelling every adult over 60 to stay at home, it also took a toll on Meals on Wheels’ capacity to meet that need. Much like its clients, an overwhelming majority of Meals on Wheels drivers are over the age of 65 (60% in Alameda County). And as of March 16, all of those drivers were asked to stay at home.
But thanks to new, innovative partnerships with locally-based organizations and a local elected, SOS Meals on Wheels has been able to survive – and thrive – amid this time of increased need. On April 15, the organization launched a partnership with transportation network company Lyft, enlisting drivers to deliver approximately 200 meals a day to homebound seniors across Alameda County.
“Ours is a Community of Service – as our older neighbors need us now more than ever, we in turn have needed the support of our partners in order to meet the exponentially growing need for our services,” said Charlie Deterline, Executive Director of SOS Meals on Wheels. “These friends – old and new, have enabled SOS Meals on Wheels to not only say ‘yes’ to every single eligible senior who has asked for help, but to proactively look for ways we can do more.”
Deterline noted that the office of Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, who has worked with food banks locally and statewide, was instrumental in helping to get the program up and running.
“In times of crisis, it’s beyond inspiring to see diverse stakeholders like SOS Meals on Wheels and Lyft come together to solve problems in tangible, meaningful ways,” said Assemblymember Wicks. “This effort embodies the spirit of the East Bay at its finest – we see and help our people in the greatest need, all the while innovating and forging partnerships to meet those needs head-on.”
As expected, those needs have increased greatly in recent weeks. SOS Meals on Wheels gained 645 new clients since Alameda County’s shelter in place began – up to 1642 from 1102 the week before the order went into place, a nearly 60% increase in just seven weeks. As a result, they increased the number of delivery routes from 52 to 84, as of May 6. And by the beginning of May, the organization was serving 9,575 meals each week – up from 6,177 the week before the shelter in place order went into place.
“As we continue to grapple with the devastating impacts of COVID-19, it has never been more important to band together as a community,” Lyft Senior Public Policy Manager Traci Lee said. “That’s why Lyft is proud to partner with SOS Meals on Wheels as part of our LyftUp initiative to help those most in need get through this difficult time. Under Asm. Wicks’ leadership, we are able to make our Bay Area family stronger.”
Local daily Lyft drivers are currently delivering a significant portion of those meals, with a roster of additional drivers the organization can call from if needed. All drivers have gone through the Meals on Wheels standard orientation, onboarding, and safety tutorial, completed the CA Department of Aging (CDA)’s Security Awareness training, and received specific training on food safety protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus far, drivers have delivered more than 4,000 meals and counting to seniors in need.[Text Wrapping Break]
While food is the biggest part of what Meals on Wheels delivers, the daily interaction with these drivers is critically important for homebound seniors during this difficult time. Even with critical social distancing measures incorporated into delivery protocols, interacting with the same person each day provides seniors with a sense of normalcy, continuity, and comfort – a service for their emotional health, as much as their physical well-being.
“There is no doubt that these times are tough, but it’s inspiring to see so many people come together to help each other,” Oakland Lyft driver Mike Jackson said. “In such difficult times, it’s an amazing feeling to support myself by supporting others, and to see how happy the seniors on my route are to see me when they open the door.”
And in the same spirit of collaboration as the work being done with Lyft and Asm. Wicks, SOS Meals on Wheels has also seen an uptick in volunteers across the community. Where the organization usually has about 120 volunteers at any given time, more than 500 people have reached out to volunteer since the stay at home order began, 220 of which have been onboarded since March 16.
“This outpouring of generosity has been crucial to our work – now, it’s critically important that we maintain that drumbeat of support as we head into the next phase of the public health order, ” said Deterline. “As our economy begins to reopen, the big thought on our mind is: ‘What does that look like for us, with all of these new routes and all of these new clients? What happens when all of these great volunteers go back to work?’ This won’t be over anytime soon, and we need all the help we can get.”
The program is part of Lyft’s broader LyftUp initiative, Lyft’s comprehensive effort to expand transportation access to those who need it most. In addition to Asm. Wicks’ initiative, Lyft has expanded its LyftUp efforts across the country by activating more than 500 partners in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
SOS Meals on Wheels is continuing to onboard volunteers during the current phase of the public health order, but is particularly interested in hearing from volunteers who are able to participate heading into the next phase. Volunteering as a driver requires only 2-3 hours of a person’s time each week, a time commitment that could become shorter as mobile pickup stations begin rolling out across Alameda County. To find out more about how to volunteer now or into the next phase of the public health order, visit www.sosmow.org/volunteer.
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About SOS Meals on Wheels
SOS Meals on Wheels’ primary function is to deliver nutritious, balanced meals and friendly safety checks to homebound seniors. We are the largest provider of Meals on Wheels in Alameda County delivering more than 32,000 meals per month. Our mission is to promote nutritional health, decrease the possibility of premature institutionalization, and foster the independence and dignity of homebound seniors in Central Alameda County and the City of Oakland. We fight every day to keep seniors in their homes, healthy and happy, for as long as safely possible. Visit www.sosmow.org.
About Assemblymember Buffy Wicks
Assemblymember Buffy Wicks represents California’s 15th Assembly District, which includes all or portions of the cities of Oakland, Richmond, Berkeley, Emeryville, Albany, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Pinole, El Sobrante, Hercules, Kensington, and Piedmont. You can learn more about Assemblymember Wicks at http://a15.asmdc.org.
About Lyft
Lyft was founded in 2012 by Logan Green and John Zimmer to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation and is available in all 50 states as well as select cities in Canada. Lyft is committed to effecting positive change for our cities and making cities more livable for everyone through initiatives that bridge transportation gaps, and by promoting transportation equity through shared rides, bikeshare systems, electric scooters, and public transit partnerships.