1 Million Meals Delivered: SF New Deal reflects on the recent milestone and where we go from here
By Vinny Eng
Against the backdrop of last week’s release of our economic impact report, the three community feeding programs run by SF New Deal reached a milestone: surpassing 1 million meals delivered in San Francisco since our efforts began on March 23. Thanks entirely to partnerships across our team, supporters, community organizations, and City agencies, we were able to take a purpose rooted in compassionate care and grow it into an operation of significant logistical complexity. We have delivered 1,002,321 meals to neighbors in every district of San Francisco, through volunteer drivers, self-driving cars, and professional couriers.
These past seven months have asked and revealed so much, personally, and collectively. The demands of COVID-19 are persistent, and the ongoing potential for harm to individuals and groups continues to bear out unequally among our neighbors. This disparity adds to the urgency with which we continue to approach this work of providing meals now and increasing food access for all of our neighbors.
We asked a few colleagues to share their thoughts around reaching this marker. Here is what they shared:
“The scale of what is being done was something I couldn't really appreciate until I joined the ops team. It was then I started to look at the many spreadsheets, saw the hundreds of phone calls folks fielded every week, witnessed the dozens of restaurant orders and deliveries coordinated every day, that I really began to understand what it has taken to get folks good food. 1 million is such a powerful, yet abstract number...1 Million meals is me and 8 of my family members eating three meals a day together for 100 years. 1 million meals is all of Mission High School getting 3 meals a day every day during the school year.” - Jessie
“It floors me that we, a collection of friends/volunteers/concerned locals/small businesses, were able to spring into action in March and reach this milestone in such a short amount of time...It speaks to the scope of need being massive and acute. Our programs really only touch a small corner of the community. This million meals wasn't created or delivered at the lowest cost but the multiplying effect of supporting an ecosystem of workers and preserving restaurant industry jobs that may otherwise have been lost has been really important. Small businesses can and should be part of local solutions. We can't have thriving communities if there aren’t jobs or resources to meet needs. Seeing how many like-minded people rallied around this effort to make this work possible gives me hope.” - Jenais
“A bittersweet milestone. The people of San Francisco have especially challenging needs this year, and we are feeding those gaps in community care. We have kept individuals fed and supported, kept small businesses afloat, and added to the compassionate renewal of our city in the midst of the pandemic...That is one million servings of "you matter to us," "your need is seen," and "you are loved."’ - Emily
“I am angered that such a need has persisted at this scale for months on end, without proper response from our elected leaders at the city, state, and federal level. However, I am energized by the essential businesses, workers, couriers, and community members, who have responded with bravery, action, and care in this moment of crisis. In the time of COVID-19, San Franciscans need more than just sustenance - the connection, community, and warmth cooked into a locally made meal is essential for our survival as social beings while we remain physically distant. ” - Maddie
“I could never imagine we would be reaching these numbers. It proves that there are so many people who are food insecure and still need help. I can't imagine what would happen to these people if this program doesn't extend. As a native San Franciscan, it's truly a sad reality and it hits home hard.” - Bo-Lai
“This achievement really highlights the amount of dedication and compassion that this organization has, which is one of the main reasons why I was so excited to come on board. As a SF resident, it means even more because of the neighbors we are serving. My family has lived in the SF Bay Area for three generations, and throughout all the changes in the city, it is so heartwarming to see that the core values of generosity and community have not wavered.” - Alison
“Trying to contextualize the sheer sum of food that's been produced by SF New Deal restaurant partners is a painful exercise, albeit one that's laced with gratitude...In a national landscape freckled with political discord, institutional imbalances across race, class and gender; threats to small business, and ongoing food insecurity, this is both an elating and crushing fact. Here is proof that one organization - OUR organization, with our many restaurant partners, community organizers, and volunteers - can reach a meaningful swathe of the population, even if only for a fleeting culinary moment...The uncomfortable acknowledgement that such swift work was only accomplished under the gravest of circumstances - even though hunger and economic peril persist as a fact of life in our country - will hopefully stay with all of us, and encourage us to address the problems that may feel inconceivable in more ordinary times.” - Sarah
As San Francisco continues to reopen based on assessments of our public health officials, it is important to note that cities, states, and countries are rolling back reopenings and shutting restaurants and indoor dining rooms to help prevent second surges from growing out of hand.
Planning around uncertainty takes a lot of coordination - our efforts in response to COVID-19 do not exist in isolation. SF New Deal will continue to advance local solutions to the challenges before us, informed by the community members most directly impacted and continue to provide stability to small businesses.
Please consider making a donation today. We will always find a place for volunteers to support our daily operations. Join us at https://sfnewdeal.org/get-involved
Together we can meet the needs of this moment and in so doing, rebuild systems that are equitable, community-based, and empathetic to the residents of San Francisco.