A state-led plan to deliver food to seniors sheltering from the pandemic is getting off the ground, but slowly, and not everywhere.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced Great Plates Delivered with two goals: feed seniors who must stay at home to minimize the risk of coronavirus, and stoke business for restaurants starved of patrons.
Click here for more about the Bay Area communities participating in the program.
âThis partnership will allow for the ability for restaurants to start rehiring people or keep people currently employed,â Newsom said, at an April 24 press briefing.
The program relies largely on money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay restaurants, and on counties and cities to recruit participants.
But Newsomâs announcement took some local officials by surprise.
âLiterally within 10 minutes, our hotline started ringing (laughs) pretty much off the hook,â said Lisa Mancini, director of San Mateo Countyâs Aging and Adult Services.
Still, she says the county welcomed the opportunity: âWe know the need is out there,â she says.
Her team is now working toward a goal of bringing about a thousand seniors three restaurant meals a day, and Mancini says restaurants eager for customers are signing up.
âSo if thereâs any way to get this to work, we want to put our full force behind it,â she says.
But rural and small counties have expressed skepticism of the program, its initially-short timeline — FEMA originally said money had to be spent by May 10 — and the potential for red tape. Solano County Emergency Services Manager Don Ryan told supervisors at the countyâs most recent meeting, on Tuesday, that Solano, like âlots of counties, almost thirty countiesâ is opting out âbecause the restrictions are so complicated.â
Ryan says heâs worried about the money.
âIf we do it wrong, weâre not reimbursed,â he says. âIf we do it right, a lot of people are not even going to be eligible for it.â
San Mateo County is one of just six counties, and a handful of cities, listed on the stateâs website as participating, so far.
How to Participate in Great Plates Delivered
Whoâs Eligible for Great Plates?
According to the stateâs FAQ:
Low-income seniors over 65 (seniors whose income is less than 6 times the federal poverty limit, or about $75,000) Californians 60 to 64, who have health conditions that raise their risk for the virus, who have been exposed to the virus, or who have tested positive for COVID-19 For both of these categories, seniors must live alone or with one other person who also qualifies for the program; participants must confirm they canât prepare meals on their own Seniors already receiving meals from a federally funded program like CalFRESH or Meals on Wheels are ineligible
Even with these limitations, more than a million seniors statewide are likely to qualify.
In what cities and counties can seniors sign up for Great Plates Delivered?
San Mateo County: call 1-800-675-8437 San Jose and other cities in Santa Clara County: call 408-350-3200â Option 1 Contra Costa County: call 800-510-2020 Seaside in Santa Cruz County: call 831-899-6809 or 831-899-6821 (Santa Cruz County has sought businesses to participate, but hasnât announced a formal program)
Whoâs paying for this?
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is picking up 75% of the cost. The State of California pays for 75% of the remaining quarter of the tab. Local communities pick up the remaining 6 cents on the dollar, but get to keep the sales tax from the transactions.
What do restaurants get for participating?
$16 for breakfast $17 for lunch $27 for dinner $5 for âincidental expenses.â
Copyright 2020 KQED