UPDATE #2: SOS Meals on Wheels & COVID-19
Health and safety efforts are rigorous, ongoing and evolving over here... 

  • Only kitchen staff is allowed in the kitchen--no volunteers or drivers
  • Delivery supplies are "pre-staged" in the early morning hours; drivers receive their meals, route binder & route sheet, plastic bags, and a supply of disinfectant wipes at the beginning of their shift
  • Volunteer orientation is conducted outside, while observing a six-foot distancing policy -- Thank you to all the new volunteers!!
  • EVERYONE entering the building has their temp taken - staff, volunteers, vendors
Our community is realizing not only how vital our work is, but that we ARE GOOD AT IT. In the past 10 days, we've received pledges for emergency funding to help ramp up our services during the COVID-19 health crisis from many sources, including: 

  • The City of Oakland's COVID-19 Relief Fund ($400,000)
  • $100,000 from an anonymous donor (!) 
  • The Braddock Family Foundation ($30,000)
  • Wells Fargo ($25,000)   

This funding will bring in more than $600,000, making it possible for us to: 

  • Hire unemployed and under-employed restaurant workers for an additional shift in our kitchen  
  • Install three new hand-washing stations outside every entrance of our facility 
  • Deep-clean and sanitize our entire facility, weekly
  • Bring in a 40-foot freezer trailer to safely store a strong backup inventory 

Most importantly, these pledges and all the donations coming in allow us to say "yes" to every eligible senior who needs us. 
In other news, our 12th Annual SPRING LUNCHEON which was scheduled for May 16th has been postponed. Watch this space for a new date and information about other upcoming fundraisers.
The Winter/Spring edition of our Print Newsletter won’t arrive in your mailbox, but you can read it here ! In it, you will meet Development Director Dan Ashbrook, Volunteer Extraordinaire Christine Stahowski, find a tribute to Late Board Member Chuc Kadlacek, and more.  
Once again, we will get through this. By working together. To those of you who have been fighting this fight for some time, thank you for your unwavering support and for those of you just joining us, welcome! You're in good company.

Now go wash your hands.

Charlie Deterline, Executive Director