Sandra Winter, Executive Director of Senior Coastsiders, welcome us and thanked us for prior contributions. Note the special dessert—a Canadian dessert bar (Naimo Bar?)/The meal we were served is very typical of the daily lunches provided by Senior Coastsiders kitchen. The kitchen serves up to 350 people each month. It is restaurant quality food. There is also a meal delivery service,; meals are provided to Puente to deliver on south coast; and they provide meals to CADHC.
Two other organizations use the kitchen—Table of Plenty and No Strings Attached Breakfast. At this time 27-28% of Coastsiders are seniors. The 85 and older group is the fastest growing segment. The organization meets the needs of a diverse age range from 55 and older (up to 100). Seniors generally make up 18% in other areas.
Other offerings include transportation, a new van was acquired last year. Classes include creative writing, art, crafts, grief support, Parkinson’s support. The mission is to support successful aging. This support takes into account where someone is and where they want to go. There are 13 on staff and 250-300 volunteers. Many volunteers are older adults. There is a full time care manager and the organization is looking for an additional one. The van takes people shopping, to social events, etc.
Programs at Senior Coastsiders are age dependent. The housing on this campus is provided by three non-profits, and there are about 400 residents. There are many Chinese seniors, so Senior Coastsiders hired a native Chinese speaker to help them learn English. The van also takes them into SF to shop. CERT training is also available. Senior Coastsiders also provides computer training and had a program to give out 75 tablets along with training. They work with AARP to provide tax services. There is a free assistive device program—the biggest challenge with that program is storage. The minor home repair program focuses on safety and functionality and includes Home Rehab Day. The Pet Buddy program provides volunteers and limited financial support.
Q. Do you help with insurance? A. Yes, we engage HiCap to help people to sign up for Medicare. You could have them speak to your group after November.
Q. In Bodega Bay the fire department would change alarm batteries. A. We could do that for you.
Q. Why so many Chinese residents? A. I’m not sure why, but there is a waitlist. It is a county-wide list, an applicant has to take what is available.
Q. Does a homeless person get priority. A. That is up to the housing non-profits who manage the housing.
Q. Do you provide mental health services? A. Not currently, but the new hire may.
Q. Where does your funding come from? A. From grants, donations and other. Our budget is 1.5 million.
Q. A. Do you serve meals 7 days a week? A. We serve 5 days a week and a frozen meal if needed.
Q. Do you charge for the meals? A. We allow people to contribute. About a quarter of meal recipients contribute.
Q. How does Senior Coastsiders differ from Village of the Coastside and Coastside Adult Day Health Center. A. CADHC provides medical services; we don’t provide medical services; we support more active seniors. Village of the Coastside is a focused on social outings,. You pay for those events. They also have a volunteer driver program and have workshops. It is a membership driven organization.
Q. Has the new Senior housing increased the number of participants? A. We’re not sure that is the case. HMB is a nice place to retire to. HMB also participates in the Age Friendly program and Senior Coastsiders supports the program.
Q. What can groups such as Rotary do to help? A. We are always looking for volunteers, grants are helpful, participation in special events like the Pumpkin Run and telling people about our services.
CLUB MEETING - OCTOBER 10, 2024
Guests - Dave brought Marla. Liz brought Teri, They are back from France.(Dianne comes back later in October.) Highlights of the trip included walking around the Palais Royale neighborhood where they stayed, sight seeing and visiting Suzanne and her family.
HMB Sticker Contest - The HMB sticker was Nancy’s idea, and Warren won.
Announcements - Warren let us know there is still time to sign up for the Foundation USS Hornet trip. It’s on this Saturday. We collect over $10,000 a year for this club. Liz announced the sponsors committed for LobsterFest and announced 93 tickets sold to date (many more needed, folks, so let’s get busy!)
Mitone announced that Liz agreed to be an Assistant Governor for this year and next.
Irwin announced that our club has donated $500 for storm victims.
Happy News
Ginger says it is so good to see membership growing. Please invite your friends to join us for a meeting—Irwin will advise what speakers are coming up.
Mary attended Caroline’s graduation from Medical School in Belgium. Caroline is now a medical doctor. Congratulations Caroline!
John, attended a workshop on building efficiency and learned that an electric kiln has the same electric draw as charging a car. He also saw a lot of former students, who are now parents, at a recent event.
Kevin thanked everyone for signing up for Pumpkin Fest. He also mentioned he is now a member of the Got Wheels program. A ride to the airport is $5, just call. This is a grant-funded program run by San Mateo County.
NOTE: Program details:
Got Wheels! is a subsidized taxi program from Peninsula Family Services. of San Mateo County Transportation Resource Hub
Registration is required for the limited-membership program. Participants will be issued a membership card and can schedule up to 6 one-way rides per month. Rides must begin and end within this area: Daly City, Colma, Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae, Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Francisco International Airport, Half Moon Bay, Montara, Moss Beach and El Granada.