SAN JOSE FOOD DISTRIBUTION DURING PRESIDENTS DAY HOLIDAY: With the Presidents Day Holiday tomorrow (February 21), please note the following food and meal distribution changes:
• SENIOR NUTRITIONAL PROGRAM (SNP) sites will be closed (as well as San José Community Centers).
• SNP programs will re-open as normal on Tuesday, February 22.
• MEALS ON WHEELS will deliver as normal on the Presidents Day Holiday. Participating non-profits, faith-based and City nutrition sites are updated as information becomes available to us. The next update will be released tomorrow, February 21.
However, we strongly encourage you to check in advance with any site for current days and hours of food distribution as information may have changed or updated by the food-providing agency.
TO GET FOOD:
• Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
o Call 1-800-984-3663 Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
o Our staff speaks English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin and Tagalog. Three-way interpretation is available for other languages.
o Text ‘FOOD’ to 876-876
o Get Food – Second Harvest (shfb.org)
• Afterhours – Call 211. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7 in multiple languages. Operated by United Way Bay Area. You can access Meal Information flyers in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese at the following link: https://bit.ly/SJFoodToolKit
SCHOOL WINTER BREAKS THIS WEEK: Winter Break for most school districts will be taking place February 18-25. Information on the winter break dates of each school district and the contact information for each district can be found in the Food Distribution Community & Media Toolkit: https://bit.ly/SJFoodToolKit .
DO YOUR PART TO SLOW THE SPREAD - COVID-19 VACCINE INFORMATION • COVID-19 VACCINATION FOR CHILDREN AGES 5-11 o The FDA has authorized the Pfizer vaccination for this age group.
• RESIDENTS AGES 12 AND OVER
o San José residents ages 12 and over are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
• COVID-19 BOOSTER SHOTS – Expanded to those 12 and Older o All San José residents, 12 and older, who received Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least five months ago or the Johnson & Johnson vaccination at least two months ago and are eligible according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and USFDA guidelines.
• ADDITIONAL DOSES FOR IMMUNOCOMPROMISED PATIENTS AFTER TWO DOSES OF PFIZER OR MODERNA o 3rd doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized for patients who are at least 28 days from their last dose and who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. • GET FREE AT-HOME COVID-19 TESTS o Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests are completely free. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days. o https://usps.com/covidtests IMPORTANT UPDATES: For more info, contact your medical provider or visit sccfreevax.org COMMUNITY GROUPS PROVIDE FOOD AND NECESSITIES The following is a partial list of organizations that are providing food and necessities. Participation may be based on several factors including qualifications and program space availability. We strongly encourage you to check in advance with the organization for eligibility requirements, availability, current days, and hours of food distribution as information may have changed or updated by the agency. • SECOND HARVEST OF SILICON VALLEY - www.shfb.org/get-food/ • SOURCEWISE: will provide additional opportunities for San José residents to participate in Meals on Wheels. www.sourcewise.com • VEGGIELUTION: will provide fresh produce and prepared meals. www.veggielution.org • SCHOOL OF ARTS AND CULTURE at MEXICAN HERITAGE PLAZA: Food distribution events and no-cost COVID testing. www.schoolofartsandculture.org/food-distribution • HUNGER AT HOME: provides meals and food bags to those in need. https://hungerathome.org/covid-response/ • LOAVES & FISHES - has an A La Carte program that brings edible foods to various neighborhoods. For more information, please check their calendar: https://www.loavesfishes.org/a-la-carte o They also partner with several other agencies to provide shelf stable meals and hot prepared meals: MARTHA’S KITCHEN - https://www.marthas-kitchen.org GOODWILL INDUSTRIES - https://www.loavesfishes.org/goodwill SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH - https://www.loavesfishes.org/vietnamese-seventh-day-adventist • HEALING HEALTH GROVE CENTER: Food distribution and no-cost COVID testing. www.healinggrove.org CALFRESH FOODS – YOU CAN QUALIFY EVEN IF TEMPORARILY IMPACTED BY COVID-19 Another program you may be able to access is the CalFresh Foods program. Food benefits are available to individuals and families who have been impacted by COVID-19. CalFresh provides monthly food benefits based on household income and expenses at the time of application. Even if temporary, individuals and families who have experienced a change in their circumstances may apply for CalFresh through one of California’s 58 counties. You can visit GetCalFresh.org to apply or call 1-877-847-3663 (FOOD) to be connected to their local county social service office. WIC – YOU CAN QUALIFY EVEN IF YOU RECEIVE CALFRESH OR OTHER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS WIC provides important health resources for children up to five years of age you may be raising. This includes women, grandparents, single fathers, and foster parents who meet the income requirements. For more information and to see if you qualify, visit myfamily.wic.ca.gov to take a simple eligibility assessment, or call (408) 792-5101 to get connected to your local WIC office. VIRTUAL LOCAL ASSISTANCE CENTER - GET THE HELP AND INFORMATION YOU NEED The Virtual Local Assistance Center is a one stop “go to” for information you need to help you during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic. You can find information on Food Resources, Housing, Employment, Health & Wellness, Utilities, and Immigrant Resources. Go to www.sanjoseca.gov/vlac or call 3-1-1 and you will find links to these areas. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t worry. There’s information on how you can find the information you are looking for. SJ ACCESS CAN HELP YOU GET INTERNET AND CONNECTED SJ Access is a City of San José initiative to provide residents and students access to all things digital: internet, free Wi-Fi, and digital literacy programs and opportunities. SJ Access helps households with little or no internet access get connected by partnering with school districts and businesses, installing outdoor Wi-Fi access at City libraries and community centers, and lending new and refurbished devices at no cost. For more information, go to https://www.sjpl.org/sjaccess BEHIND ON ENERGY BILLS? Electricity customers have been protected from having their power turned off due to nonpayment since the start of the pandemic (March 2020). These protections expired on September 30, 2021. After September 30, any residential customers with a balance that’s more than 60 days past due will be automatically enrolled in a 24-month payment plan. Income-qualifying residential customers can still choose to enroll in the state’s Arrearage Management Plan for debt forgiveness (up to $8,000). Visit www.SanJoseCleanEnergy.org/Discount-Programs or call 833-432-2454 for more information.
“CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!” WE NEED YOUR HELP
- There is still a great need for #ESSENTIALVolunteers to help nonprofits distribute food necessities to our community and to assist with vaccine site facilitation.
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP TO VOLUNTEER?
Nonprofits need volunteers to help with vaccine sites, nonprofit & school site food distribution, and more. #SiliconValleyStrong Submit an application through SV Strong to be matched where there is a high need for support. Volunteer opportunities include organizations such as Veggielution, Sourcewise, Martha's Kitchen, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, local school districts and many others doing critical work across the region: https://siliconvalleystrong.org/volunteer/ • Second Harvest of Silicon Valley o Help with various food distributions like sorting foods in the warehouse or delivering foods to homes. o Sign Up: https://www.shfb.org/give-help/volunteer/ • Community Services Agency o Prep and distribute food Monday-Fridays, 9:00am-5:30pm, 3 hours shifts. o Email to sign up: lclark@csacares.org • Sacred Heart Community Service o Sort food Monday-Thursday and Saturday for 2-3 hours o Monday-Thursday Shift: 8:30-11:30, 11:30-2:30, 2:30-4:30 o Saturday Shift: 9am-12pm o Sign Up: https://sacredheartcs.org/volunteer/ • The Health Trust o Sort food on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays and 1st Wednesday of the month 11am-2pm • Sourcewise o Build emergency first aid kits and/or become a Sourcewise Ambassador and bring companionship to a homebound senior. Minimum 1 hour a week commitment for 2 months. o Sign Up: https://www.mysourcewise.com/commitment • Veggielution o Help pack farm boxes with fresh produce. Workdays are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at San Jose Conservation Corps & Charter School. Shifts are 8am-1pm or 9am-12pm (optional shorter shift). o Sign Up: https://veggielution.org/farm-box • Martha's Kitchen o Prep and serve food Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. o Sign Up: http://www.marthas-kitchen.org/ o Or email to sign up: volunteers@marthas-kitchen.org • The Salvation Army, Silicon Valley o 1) Loading cars for food box distribution OR 2) checking in individuals and families arriving for food pick-up. o Sign Up: https://volunteer.usawest.org/OpportunityListPage.aspx