Elderly and chronically-ill San Franciscans get safe meals delivered to their door.
When Bay Area counties shutdown, everything changed for Project Open Hand. The organization, which in normal times prepares 2,500 meals per day for the vulnerable and chronically-ill and serves daily meals to seniors and adults with disabilities at 16 community nutrition centers, saw a 25% increase in need for their services. Unfortunately, the increase in demand coincided with a drastic reduction in the number of essential volunteers; many of whom are seniors or people who have underlying health problems themselves.
Some of that increased demand came from new meal delivery services to three single resident occupancy, or SRO, hotels in San Francisco. Many hotel residents, like Anthony, are older adults with complex health issues who are sheltering in place.
With fewer hands to cut vegetables and package meals, combined with public health guidance to switch to prepackaged meals, the organization needed temporary freezer capacity. It secured a 40-foot freezer trailer—a huge victory, but they still had many uncovered costs. That’s where Episcopal Impact Fund’s flexible emergency grant came in. The organization is using EIF’s funding for a myriad of unforeseen expenses—from paying for the electricity to run the freezer to paying a security guard to prevent theft of the 20,000 meals it holds.
Project Open Hand’s leadership has been impressed by the way the community is rallying to meet new needs, which are changing day to day. Yet, is also bracing for a continued increase in demand for its services.
Across the Bay Area, Episcopal Impact Fund is providing the critical, flexible funding to organizations responding to the pandemic. We depend on your support to continue. 100% of funds donated will quickly go out to the help those in need.
