Our CommonSpirit Health Grocery Store in Oakland is in need of volunteers! We are open and serving groceries to low-income seniors on every weekday, and we could use your help from 9:45 to 11:45 am! Come have fun with our team and serve the community at the same time, first timers always welcome!
Find available times here: https://tinyurl.com/mbbpvolunteer
AUV
The West Oakland Soul Line Dancers doing their thing at #AgingUnbound at Oakland City Hall for #OlderAmericansMonth2023!
Cal Fresh Extention kick off at Mercy Brown Bag 🍏🍎🍑🍊🌽🥝🍌🥕🥑🍆
Cal Fresh Extention kick off at Mercy Brown Bag!
Sr. Patty from Pax Christi USA visited our distribution and helped this wonderful crew provide nutritious groceries to Oakland elders last week. Take a look at some of the yummy food. Please consider a Giving Tuesday gift in two weeks to help us continue this vital program.
Mercy Brown Bag program started with a handful of seniors being served out of the basement of Mercy Retirement and Care Center 37 years ago. Last year we were serving over 200 out of the same basement. In the last several months the distribution at MRCC had grown to over 300 bags. We were turning people away, and it was breaking our hearts. We tried getting people to go to sites closer to their homes, but they wanted to come here, despite the long wait. The only thing to do was to add another distribution day, and split the group in two. Things are calmer now, but both distributions could be described as a #chaordic, loving affair. Some recipients have become regular volunteers and others, jump in to act as translators, to explain the process to newcomers, but we need a few more helpers. Stop by sometime, or everytime. #Volunteer requirments are: #kindness, #generosity, #joy.
The Monday distribution is the perfect feel good start to the week, the Friday distribution sends you into the weekend with a smile.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR MOBILE GROCERY TRUCK! This year has been WILD but we are so thrilled with how this truck serves seniors. This morning we threw it a party! Last week we opened both sides and served over 200 people in the pouring rain. Our new database tells us this first year we had 5,207 visits to the truck. Next year that will more than double.
We love sitting back and letting the volunteers take charge! #seniorshelpingseniors
Huge Thanks to all of our Amazing Volunteers! We had a wonderful appreciation event yesterday.
One of our talented volunteers, Scott Hargis took these beautiful pictures to give you a quick look at the celebration. Thank you Scott!
The mobile grocery truck is official! Thanks to The Thomas J. Long Foundation, The Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation, Supervisor Wilma Chan, Supervisor Nate Miley, Oakland, Council Member Nate Gallo, and volunteer Alma, from our site at Allen Temple Baptist Church for cutting the ribbon and celebrating with us.
Bye, bye boiler!
Why is Mercy Brown Bag Program showing the demolition of a 43 year old boiler?
Because after the removal of these two boilers we will install a new cooler which will double the space we have for storing frozen food and more delicate fruits and vegetables that need to be refrigerated.
Hello Rasberries!
A quick slideshow of some of the yummy food our neighbors recieved free of charge last week thanks to our volunteers and donors generosity & care for the older men and women in our program. We are grateful!
St. Paul Lutheran Church
This morning at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Oakland we distributed137 brown bags of nutritious food. 48 of the bags were later picked up to go to Lake Merritt Apartments. #seniorhunger
Here are the amazing Aquanuts in action! Thank you for your compassion for seniors at age 11 & 12! You are inspiring!
Loading 1,400 lbs of honeydew into our truck for our seniors. (Alameda County Community Food Bank)
Through "Seniors helping Seniors" we coordinate the distribution of free nutritious groceries to low-income seniors in Alameda County, CA.
