SOS Meals on Wheels is Now Serving the Tri-City Area

Thank you for being a supporter of the Meals on Wheels program serving Fremont, Newark & Union City.

I am reaching out to introduce myself, and our organization. I’m Charlie Deterline, and I am the Executive Director for SOS Meals on Wheels. Based in San Leandro, we are the primary Meals on Wheels provider for Oakland, Hayward, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, and Castro Valley. SOS has been providing healthy meals and daily visits to homebound seniors in Central Alameda County for over five decades, and have strong relationships with senior-focused organizations and funders throughout the region. We have also been the contracting partner for LIFE ElderCare’s Meals on Wheels program, providing the meals for the clients that LIFE’s staff and volunteers serve.

As of Monday, September 18th, SOS Meals on Wheels will assume responsibility for the Meals on Wheels program serving Fremont, Newark, and Union City, previously serviced by LIFE ElderCare.

Our Board, leadership, and staff are honored and excited to take over the work that will enable us to begin and develop relationships with the older South County residents who depend on the Meals on Wheels service, the volunteers who make it possible, and the community members and leaders who will help us sustain and grow the program in the years to come.

Indeed, relationships are the key to this transition, as they are to the work we do. Our partnership with LIFE, the understanding of their operations, and mutual admiration that has developed between our organizations, have positioned SOS to be uniquely capable of stepping in and taking on this program, with little to no discernable, immediate changes that would be felt by the program’s clients. Additionally, our relationship with the Alameda County Area Agency on Aging is one based on accountability and collaboration, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to expand our reach and impact on the lives of the older homebound residents of Alameda County seniors.

Lastly, the relationships that LIFE and its staff have developed over the years with volunteers, their clients, and the community at large are what make this transition possible. Without the community support and incredible group of volunteers who deliver meals and smiles each day, we would not be able to take on this program with such an anticipated smooth rollout. The LIFE Meals on Wheels program staff are a dedicated, talented, and caring team, and we hope to be able to bring all of them along, and have them join our team at SOS. There is a mutual sense of excitement as we are all looking forward to sharing ideas and best practices throughout our growing organization, and I am personally really looking forward to getting to know the volunteers, donors, and community leaders who continue to support this vital Meals on Wheels program.

I invite you to learn more about our organization – visit www.sosmow.org, to view our Annual Report, discover our history, and get to know our staff.

Feel free to reach out to us as well, at info@sosmow.org.