The mayor of Oakland wants every Oaklander to be counted and to know they count. The city is launching an ambitious project to reach 35,000 Oakland residents over the next few weeks to connect them with services and show them that City Hall and fellow residents care about them. It's called the Great Oakland Check-In.
"People don't always know about these resources," says Mayor Libby Schaaf. "You can reach out to Oaklanders and check in on them, tell them that people care about them, connect them to resources. There are tons of free food, grab and go, free testing if you're worried you may have COVID. And also there's anxiety, there's loneliness and this is a chance for us as Oaklanders to really show that we care about one another."
The mayor says the effort is also aimed at reaching low-income and minority communities that are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
City Hall employees will be making calls, but Mayor Schaaf says in order to meet the goal the city will need help from volunteers who can make the calls from the comfort of their own homes.
"You just need a laptop and a cellphone," says the mayor. "We would love to have more volunteers."
Mayor Schaaf hopes the effort will also reach people who might otherwise avoid filling out the 2020 census. "We want everyone to complete the census. It is so critical, it will drive the resources that we get for critical community services for the next ten years."
Interested volunteers can call City Hall at 510-238-3141 or fill out this form online.
