Volunteer Griselda Querada-Chavez and Eileen Stephens outside MDUSD's kitchen.

Concord Cares, a unique program started by the City of Concord to help seniors who are sheltering-in-place, has been extended until June 30th. Under the program, seniors who are not already clients of MOW Diablo Region receive meals prepared by Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) and delivered by volunteers. In addition to meal delivery, Concord Cares offers Friendly Helpers who go grocery shopping and pick up prescriptions.

This program has been a lifesaver to Shelly Mack. She wouldn’t ordinarily be eligible for services through MOW Diablo Region because she is normally able to obtain her own food. But Shelly suffers from severe asthma and some mobility issues. When Covid-19 began, she wore her mask to the supermarket, but because her breathing was already compromised, she found trying to breathe through a mask caused lightheadedness and once she even passed out. Being unable to breathe also caused her extreme anxiety.

When Shelly saw the City of Concord’s Facebook post about Concord Cares, she began sharing it with friends who needed the service. Many wrote back telling her that she should be using it, too! “I knew about Meals on Wheels Diablo Region, but I never thought I’d be needing them at this time of my life,” says Shelly. “They’ve been wonderful. The food is very good, and I have a new appreciation for how important the delivered meals are to seniors who can’t shop or cook.”

There were many key elements that helped this program come together successfully. First, the City of Concord recognized the need to provide services to their residents and acted quickly - reaching out to partner with MOW Diablo Region, who had experience in delivering meals to seniors, and Mt. Diablo Unified School District, who had experience in producing large quantities of meals.

Dominic Machi, Director of Food & Nutrition Services for the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, which also provides meals to students in Concord, says his years of experience in the restaurant business, food distribution, and being a master chef helped him put all the pieces together.

“I come from a family of restaurant owners, so I’ve been in the business my whole life. Plus, the Mt. Diablo Unified School District has all the needed equipment to get the job done. We can package 600 meals an hour. I also have a great staff who were able to mobilize swiftly and effectively.” One thousand of the meals produced each week are delivered to Concord seniors through MOW Diablo Region.

Concord Cares also works because of the participation of volunteers. For people who found themselves working remotely or without work, they saw this time as an opportunity to give back to the community. 

Betty Schaffer volunteered years ago for a cancer organization and had looked into volunteering for MOW Diablo Region, but since she works in San Francisco, deliveries didn’t fit into her schedule. When she heard about Concord Cares, she was working from home and knew she now had the time to deliver meals two to three times a week. Each Sunday, she’d receive an email from Casey Claiborne at MOW Diablo Region checking on her availability and on Monday mornings she was given her weekly assignment.

“Volunteering really made me realize just how important the delivered meals are to the elderly,” says Betty. “It was an eye-opening experience to meet the clients. Even though I was social distancing, I was able to have some brief conversations. I could see how important that quick chat was to someone who is alone or someone who is accustomed to being active and are now sheltering-in-place. It was truly a gratifying experience.”

Betty will be returning to work in San Francisco soon and won’t be able to deliver meals, but she hopes a program can be designed that would allow her to participate in some way. Perhaps she could pick up a few groceries for a senior when she does her food shopping on Saturday or pick-up a prescription. “I would love to remain involved!”

Dominic Machi, Director of Food & Nutrition Services for the Mt. Diablo Unified School District.

Sixteen-year-old Aarush Aitha comes from a family who believes in helping people, so when Covid-19 struck he felt inspired to find a way to help people affected by the crisis. “I know that the elderly are at greater risk and the workers who provide them with essential services are also at risk. I wanted to find a charity that I believed in.” Aarush took to the internet and found Meals on Wheels Diablo Region. “When I saw the incredible work MOW Diablo Region does, I knew it was the organization to help.” Aarush started a Facebook fundraiser for his family and friends. On his page, he raised over $1,200 and then his parents made a personal contribution that was matched by Nike. To date, Aarush and his family have raised over $2,000.

Fifteen-year-old Jake Hammerman is also interested in giving back. When Covid-19 upended his summer plans he came up with a great way to share his skills as a varsity tennis player and help a worthy cause. He and two friends worked with private and public tennis courts to give tennis lessons to kids age 7 through 13. The lessons will be given in exchange for a donation to his GoFundMe page that benefits MOW Diablo Region. “I’m interested in food-related causes, and I have grandparents and know how scary and dangerous this pandemic is for people their age,” explains Jake. “Also, there will be lots of kids home this summer. Giving tennis lessons gets them out of the house getting exercise and learning great skills.” In the first 4 days of the campaign, Jake raised $1,500 toward his goal of $10,000. He’s had numerous inquiries from parents who want their children to have lessons and he’s trying to recruit more of his tennis teammates. “The more people giving lessons, the more lessons we can give, the more money I can raise,” says Jake.

Lise Bodine is the Director of Administration at MOW Diablo Region. Every day she witnesses the incredible dedication of her coworkers and the impact of their work to help seniors. On her birthday, she set up a Facebook fundraiser. “I don’t need more stuff in my life. On a whim, I asked people to donate to MOW Diablo Region through a Facebook fundraiser. I had never done it before and was so wonderfully surprised in just one week I raised over $600 from friends and family near and far. It truly touched my heart.”

Lise Bodine (second from right) with friends celebrating her birthday last year.

What Aarush, Jake and Lise are doing is called peer-to-peer fundraising. Instead of MOW Diablo Region directly requesting donations, they are mobilizing their networks of friends and family to fund something they believe in. This peer-to-peer fundraising helps MOW Diablo Region raise needed funds, and it also broadens our reach, allowing people to learn about our work and the vulnerable seniors whose lives we touch every day.

If you would like information or help setting up a peer-to-peer fundraiser either through Facebook or GoFundMe, please reach out to Shanti Peterson at speterson@mowdr.org.

Life hasn’t always been easy for Inge. At first, growing up outside of Frankfort was peaceful and idyllic, but soon the world around her turned ugly as Hitler came to power. Her parents tried to protect her from the way her town was being torn apart and the powerlessness they felt living under the Nazis. But sometimes there was no way to avoid seeing people she once thought as good doing very horrible things. When the war ended, she met and married an American and left Germany for the United States.

But life wasn’t easy here either. After having two children, she and her husband divorced. “I couldn’t go back to Germany,” she says. “My friends and family told me not to go to America. I was young and didn’t want to admit I had made a mistake.”

Inge brought up her children alone and cleaned houses to make ends meet. She never asked for help and never complained. But a few years ago, she realized she needed help. At 89, she isn’t steady on her feet and her hands are crippled from arthritis making cooking almost impossible. She began receiving meals delivered by Meals on Wheels Diablo Region which allowed her to remain at home. “The food is so good and the volunteers so nice. Without them, I don’t know how I would eat,” says Inge.

Except for her health issues, Inge was doing okay before Covid-19 hit. She had a friend who would pick up her prescriptions or run a few errands, but the friend was also older and couldn’t go out during the pandemic. Inge didn’t know what to do, and then she got a call from Volunteer Coordinator, Sumi Lavu. “I was scared. I couldn’t get my medicines. I couldn’t get anything, but Sumi said she’d take care of me.”

Since the Covid-19 shutdown Sumi and many of her colleagues at MOW Diablo Region have stepped up and gone beyond the call of duty. They check on clients and pick up prescriptions, groceries and personal care items when needed. In the months that Sumi has been helping Inge, they have developed a strong bond. “I love Sumi. She is good inside and out,” says Inge. “I feel guilty, because I wish I could do something for her. All I can do is give her a German chocolate bar when she comes. I think she likes it!”

At Meals on Wheels Diablo Region we have been touched by the kindness of people in our community. When Covid-19 struck, so many of you rallied around our mission to deliver meals and services to vulnerable seniors. As a nonprofit, we depend on the financial support of our donors. The pandemic created greater financial challenges that many of you helped us overcome. Many people dropped off items our seniors needed like personal care products, paper goods, pet food, and games and puzzles to help them with isolation. A record number of people also stepped up to volunteer – over 900! We worked diligently to process all applications and put many new volunteers into service. For volunteers on our waiting list, we asked them to drop off birthday cards that we could send to our elderly clients.

Kevin Griffin, owner of Diablo Valley Signs, made two beautiful banners that they mounted in front of our building allowing us to thank the community. We have been so busy arranging meal deliveries that we often forgot to eat ourselves, so it was a welcome treat when Heritage Eats and the Orinda Rotary Club brought the staff lunch, and Lindsey Kruljic at Republic of Cake in Orinda dropped off delicious cookies.

On the television we hear the phrase “we are all in this together” and at MOW Diablo Region we know this to be true. The outpouring from the community truly reflects that you are with us as we work on the frontline to make sure seniors are fed and remain safely at home. Thank you!

Meals on Wheels Diablo Region offers more than just a meal. Our array of wrap-around services addresses the many physical, emotional and social problems faced by an aging population. Sadly, one of those problems is elder abuse.

MOW Diablo Region has a team of professionals that comprise our Care Management Department and is one of only a few Meals on Wheels in the country who offers elder abuse prevention services. Caitlin Sly, Executive Director of MOW Diablo Region, says this service truly speaks to our dedication to caring for the whole person. “We deliver meals that prevent seniors from going hungry, but sometimes the lack of food is just one aspect of a problem,” explains Sly. “Seniors can easily be victims of abuse and we want to address this so that seniors can remain at home safely.”

MOW Diablo Region receives referrals from Adult Protective Services and other social service organizations about suspected abuse cases. Additionally, every MOW Diablo Region client is asked to fill out a brief assessment to determine if there may be abuse occurring in the home. If the answers show that abuse may be happening, an elder abuse specialist on the Care Management team visits the senior at home to evaluate the situation.

We screen over 1,000 clients a year. Many do not involve abuse, but when there is mental, financial or physical abuse, the Care Management team helps to try to resolve the situation. The abuser is almost always someone close to the senior, which presents other issues as seniors are afraid of how they will care for themselves if the abuser isn’t in their lives.

We can often connect them with services that fill in the gaps, such as transportation services for medical appointments, or Cal Fresh that helps them buy groceries. Whatever service is available, the team can work with the senior to provide relief and safety.

Nationally since Covid-19, the numbers of people reporting abuse has actually gone down for elder, child, and domestic abuse. Social service providers believe this is due to people being afraid or not having the opportunity to report the abuser because that individual is now in the home all day. This has created challenges for the Care Management team, but their goal is to make sure every senior is safe at home. They continue to call clients and make home visits, although they are remaining outside to ensure social distancing. As one team member says, “It is hard to see how a senior’s vulnerability makes them targets for abuse, but the Care Management team works everyday to solve problems and do some good for our seniors.”

June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month. If you know someone who you suspect is dealing with abuse contact Adult Protective Services at 1-877-839-4347.

Everyone needs something to brighten their days during these difficult times, especially our senior clients who are more isolated than ever before. That’s why it was so special when Meals on Wheels Diablo Region was contacted by the National Charity League who wanted to donate plants to distribute to our senior clients throughout the community.

The National Charity League is a philanthropic organization of mothers and daughters who volunteer nearly three million hours annually at over 4,000 charities in the United States. Meals on Wheels Diablo Region and the National Charity League have partnered on multiple projects over the years, including a cookie decorating contest and creating Valentine Day cards for seniors. All of us at MOW Diablo Region appreciated this thoughtful donation from the National Charity League and we know our clients will, too. “I think it is a very sweet gesture and our seniors will love looking at the plants and knowing people care about them and support them,” says Cynthia Black, MOW Diablo Region’s Health and Wellness Division Manager. “Plants brighten a person’s day.”

A new program in Brentwood takes Meals on Wheels Diablo Region’s services to a whole new level. The Breakfast Bag program delivers a 7-breakfast pack to MOW Diablo Region clients who are sheltering-in-place. Funded through a grant from the City of Brentwood and offered by Davi Produce, breakfast includes hardboiled eggs, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, coffee and tea.

“This is a welcome addition to clients who only receive one meal per day,” says Nancy Raniere, MOW Diablo Region’s Nutrition Services Division Manager. “Families can’t visit because of the pandemic and these seniors need the extra meal to keep them fed and healthy.”

Over 150 breakfast bags have been delivered to date. With additional funding in the future we hope to continue this program well beyond the Covid-19 pandemic to all our clients.

It’s important to have dairy in your diet which includes milk, yogurt, cheese, and fortified soy milk. Dairy provides calcium, vitamin D, potassium, protein, and other nutrients needed for good health throughout life. Choices should be low-fat or fat-free to cut calories and saturated fat. How much is needed? Older children, teens, and adults need 3 cups a day, while children 4 to 8 years old need 2 ½ cups, and children 2 to 3 years old need 2 cups.

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Meals on Wheels Diablo Region

1300 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek, CA, 94596

United States

mowdiabloregion.org