The city will add another free home meal delivery service for older adults
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia released this message on Monday, May 18, an update on the city’s status amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.
This week we took another step to support seniors during this challenging time. The city will add another free home meal delivery service for older adults in an effort to further assist adults at high risk of COVID-19 and to provide essential economic stimulus to local eateries during the health crisis.
We are already seeing the impact of World Central Kitchen and how it’s helping seniors and local restaurants. Long Beach is one of the few cities in the country with this kind of initiative happening. Michael Gonzalez, a local attorney and tattoo-shop owner, organized the kitchen’s services here, collaborating with Lola’s and the Ordinaire to keep people working and provide 1,000 meals a day. My thanks to them and to all those involved in this great community service.
That new program is in addition to Meals on Wheels and the Salvation Army, which have long provided this kind of service and recently expanded their offerings as well. That kind of community spirit is what makes Long Beach great and we need more of that.
Now, this week we’ve announced the Great Plates program, in partnership with Gov.Gavin Newsom and the State of California
The city has released a request for proposals (RFP ) to contract with multiple Long Beach food providers to prepare and package the meals.
This is a great opportunity to support the older adults in our community who are most in need at this time, as well as assist the food service industry which has been severely affected as a result of the public health crisis.
The Great Plates Delivered Program will provide up to three free nutritious meals delivered daily to qualified adults older than 65 years of age or adults 60-64 who are at high risk of COVID-19, in partnership with local food providers and restaurants.
Restaurants and food providers interested in participating in the program are encouraged to complete the RFP process. Participation preference will be given to businesses that are locally owned and/or locally sourced, prioritize local jobs and worker retention, and provide meals that can be frozen and reheated, as well as meet nutritional standards and other safe food handling procedures in accordance with State guidelines. To participate in the RFP process, interested business owners should visit the Financial Management Purchasing Division webpage.
The RFP period opened on Monday and closes at 11 a.m. this Thursday, May 21. Additional details are provided in the proposal.
The city will select multiple local food providers for participation in the program, in accordance with Federal Emergency Management Agency procurement criteria.
The Long Beach version of the program is expected to begin on May 29 and continue through June 10, the timeframe approved by FEMA. The State of California intends to request an extension of the program into July.
More information on how residents can apply to receive meals will be forthcoming.
For questions related to the RFP, contact rfppurchasing@longbeach.gov.