Steve receives $1,300 from disability each month, less than minimum wage. That is all he has for his rent, heat, and food while being unable to work due to severe diabetes. He visits the Loaves and Fishes Dining Room and SVdP Food Pantry almost daily, taking a bus to get to Pittsburg from Antioch. SVdP provided a walker with a seat - making mobility easier for Steve.
“I love coming here,” Steve said. “Everyone is so nice. The food is good. It’s also nice to just have people to talk to. It can be lonely being disabled.”
The Grocery Bag Program is a partnership between Meals on Wheels Diablo Region and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. For a growing number of seniors, the only food they had all day was the one-serving meal MOW Diablo Region delivered. These seniors could still cook a meal, but the cost of groceries and the inability to go to the Food Bank, made them food insecure. Twice a month, MOW Diablo Region picks up healthy groceries and fresh produce from the Food Bank and delivers it to these homebound low-income seniors.
“I suffer from a lot of health issues that prevent me from driving. Before I started receiving the Grocery Bags, I’d only eat once a day if I were lucky. Now I’m not hungry anymore.” Patricia, Bay Point.
