The Mayor of LA gave an update on the emergency meal program for seniors this week, which has been expanded so that more seniors could stay at home safely but also receive meals.
As of today the Mayor announced a new partnership with 15 restaurants in the City Council districts who will each prepare and provide meals for more than 1,000 seniors starting next week while supporting the restaurant and taxicab industries.
Since last Monday the Mayor said they've enrolled 4,774 additional seniors and provided 33,760 meals and reopening four hospitality kitchens across the city.
Garcetti said seniors who need a home-delivered meal can call 213) 263-5226 or visit http://Coronavirus.LACity.org/SeniorMeals to enroll.
Garcetti updated the public on the second phase of the Senior Meal Emergency Response Program. The city's Emergency Seniors Meal Program provides free, emergency home-delivery meals to seniors who qualify.
The city can now expand the program thanks to additional money from the state and FEMA allowing us to expand it to even more seniors and also help the hospitality and restaurant industries that have been affected by lay-offs during this crisis.
"We are going to do this in a way that also helps one of our hardest-hit industries, our local restaurants and hospitality workers that work in hotels and restaurants across Los Angeles. They have seen a huge drop in business," Garcetti said.
The first partnership will be with The Los Angeles Hospitality Training Academy, which is an LA-based workforce and training organization in partnership with UNITE HERE Local 11.
Today's launch will put 150 Angelenos back to work, Garcetti said.
Taxi drivers, another industry hard-hit by the crisis, will be delivering the meals to the seniors.
Garcetti said seniors who need a home-delivered meal can call 213) 263-5226 or visit http://Coronavirus.LACity.org/SeniorMeals to enroll. Restaurants that want to help can also visit the website.
Seniors or their caregivers can sign up for the meal program by calling the Senior Meal Emergency Response Program Hotline at (213) 263-5226, Monday - Sunday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
To qualify, you have to be age 60 or older, be an LA resident and not be enrolled in other meal programs.
"Last week I announced my Emergency Senior Meals Program would try to double the number of seniors from 5,000 to more than double, 12,000, and ensure that 7,000 new seniors would receive 10 meals a week for up to 10 weeks. Let me put that in perspective," he said. "We went from 5,000 seniors five days a week getting a single meal, 25,000 meals, pre-crisis to trying to get to 120,000 meals per week."
"This is a Herculean undertaking but we are up to it," Garcetti said Friday.
Garcetti said in addition to the 5,000 seniors that have already been enrolled, another 6,000 seniors enrolled this week.
The city's Department of Aging doubled its Emergency Senior Meals Response program, which was created by Mayor Garcetti and funded through the Mayor's Fund of Los Angeles.
Through a partnership with Everytable and Access Services, the Department of Aging and the Mayor’s Office will provide 10 meals a week to 7,280 new seniors.
About 5,000 low-income seniors were already being provided with meals through the Department of Aging and the city of LA will also double the number of meals for them.
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti says so many people called, inquiring about the program when it began that there was a need to expand.
Seniors or their caregivers can sign up for the meal program by calling the Senior Meal Emergency Response Program Hotline at (213) 263-5226, Monday - Sunday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
To qualify, you have to be age 60 or older, be an LA resident and not be enrolled in other meal programs.