Feed and Fuel 2.0 - Scaling Community Solutions Towards An Equitable Recovery
By Vinny Eng
SF New Deal is proud to announce a renewed collaboration with the Chinatown Community Development Corporation (CCDC) and the San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA). Together, SFND, CCDC and HSA will spearhead a $3.4 million reboot of Feed and Fuel, a community feeding program that safeguards the health of Chinatown seniors and families in Single Room Occupancy (SRO) residendences, while also providing vital immediate economic relief to Chinatown restaurants, small businesses, and their workers.
Feed and Fuel was first introduced in May of 2020 as a community response to COVID-19. Over the two and a half months of the initial rollout, 122,000 meals from 34 neighborhood restaurants were distributed to over 1,000 residents living in Chinatown SROs and public housing. The program was phased out as the community adapted new ways of securing food access while keeping community transmissions of COVID-19 low.
However, surges that followed the Thanksgiving and December holidays necessitated measures to slow the community spread of COVID-19. A prolonged shelter in place order was enacted and outdoor dining was put on pause, leaving Chinatown businesses that were already experiencing distress from COVID-19 and xenophobia in an even more precarious situation. In late December, it became clear that without immediate interventions, many beloved Chinatown staples would not survive through the winter. Many businesses were on the brink of permanent closure, including Far East Cafe, a storied, 100-year old banquet hall, one of two remaining in San Francisco.
Photos by Ian Tuttle featuring House of Dim Sum and Courier Danny Tzekbaas from Rocketeer Courier.
Showcasing a resilience that is unique to Chinatown, community members organized and identified, with precision and specificity, what they would need from City leaders to get through shelter in place and to protect the heritage of the beloved neighborhood. CCDC began to lay the groundwork for a reboot of Feed and Fuel, and marshalled other community organizations to rally support.
Earlier this week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve an allocation of $1.9 million to fund this Chinatown relief program. This legislation was introduced by Supervisor Aaron Peskin and cosponsored by 10 Supervisors. Consideration of the matter was expedited with the help of Board President Shamann Walton, built on the early support of his former colleagues, Former Board President Norman Yee and former Supervisor Sandra Fewer.
“While everyone has been extremely hard-hit by this pandemic, the last intact Chinatown in the country has been especially ravaged. Today’s unanimous Board of Supervisors vote to approve our $1.9m Chinatown Restaurant Relief & Food Security package is a testament to how important Chinese food, Chinese culture and Chinatown’s community of immigrant families and seniors is for the City and region. We need to feed our most vulnerable and fuel a strong recovery for Chinatown’s vibrant tourism industry. We’re ready to fight to preserve this iconic neighborhood and this is one small step toward that end.” – Supervisor Aaron Peskin, District 3
Feed and Fuel 2.0 will be administered by SF New Deal under the direction of SF New Deal Director of Service Operations Jacob Bindman, CCDC Senior Organizer Rosa Chen, and SF New Deal Program Manager Bo-Lai Ng. Tremendous guidance has been provided by Matthias Mormino of CCDC, Rose Jones of HSA, Director Joaquin Torres of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and Shireen McSpadden, Executive Director of the Department of Aging and Disability Services, which had already committed $500,000 to the project under the direction of Mayor London Breed. CCDC has committed an additional $100,000 to this relief program, and is halfway through a campaign to raise an additional $1 million through grants and individual contributions. This $3.4 million funding makes it possible for Feed and Fuel to meet the goals set forth by CCDC in four key areas:
SRO Resident Safety: minimize communal kitchen usage in SROs by providing prepared meals that SRO residents do not have to prepare.
SRO Resident Food Security: SRO’s are considered housing of last resort for most households. Not surprisingly, SRO residents are categorically in the extremely low income (ELI) income bracket and are also among the most physically vulnerable, with over 50% of SRO residents being seniors. A disproportionately high number of working aged adults living SRO’s are employed in the service sector and as a result nearly 77% have lost their jobs during the City's lockdown. Nearly 100% have experienced reduced employment. The Feed and Fuel will provide a dependable food source for SRO Residents.
Saving Chinatown Restaurants: Chinatown restaurants are under severe distress from COVID 19. Many are on the brink of closing. In a December 21, 2020 meeting, restaurant operators identified a meals program as the best mechanism to keep their doors open.
Employment: This program will help re-employ a significant number of restaurant workers, many of whom are ELI SRO residents themselves. In an August 2020 survey conducted by Chinatown CDC of close to 300 SRO families, approximately 43% indicated that they are restaurant workers. Seventy seven percent (77%) also indicated that they had become unemployed during the pandemic.
The phones have been ringing nonstop at SF New Deal since news of the reboot was shared with Chinese media, 1,480 residents and 25 restaurants have already been enrolled into Feed and Fuel 2.0, with the capacity to serve 4500 residents and up to 70 restaurants.
Program participants are provided vouchers for 5 weekly meals which can be redeemed at participating restaurants in their neighborhood. Giving residents the opportunity to choose their own meals will be a welcome respite for residents living in SRO buildings and will provide the opportunity for individuals to safely reconnect with legacy businesses and cherished restaurants in Chinatown. We are anticipating that the program will run for at least 8 weeks.
We are grateful to be able to bring these Chinatown businesses into our community of partners, and hope that you will join us in supporting the recovery of this iconic San Francisco neighborhood. Together, we can ensure that the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Ox, will be one of abundance, prosperity, and community.
Far East Cafe
Quotes from Chinatown Community Leaders
“San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce truly appreciates the time and effort Supervisor Peskin, HSA/OEWD, and the SF New Deal put in to orchestrate this much needed booster. We can all agree that our minority neighborhood, Chinatown, is in a dire need of resuscitation. Thank you for galvanizing the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for unanimous support for this $1.9 million Chinatown relief funds. This will create jobs and provide food to our low-income families.” – Harlan Wong, 1st Vice President, SF Chinese Chamber of Commerce
"During a historic period of tumult for our City, API Council thanks leaders like Supervisor Aaron Peskin, HSA/OEWD, and SF New Deal for their steadfast support of our Chinatown community. What's at stake in Chinatown amounts to more than the sum of its parts. The very soul of our City lies in these enclaves and they have been the bastion of so much of San Francisco's cultural identity. While we understand that there are still many challenges ahead of us, this grant will go a long way in supporting those who make up the very fabric of Chinatown" - Cally Wong, Executive Director, API Council
“CMAC (Chinatown Media and Arts Collaborative) conveys our wholehearted appreciation to Supervisor Peskin, HSA/OEWD, SF New Deal for championing CT’s economic recovery with $1.9M Lifeline package. The Board of Supervisors leadership signals the beginning of the City’s commitment and equitable investment to preserve economic and cultural assets of a diverse neighborhood.” – Mabel Teng, CMAC
“The Chinese Progressive Association applauds the leadership and partnership of Supervisor Peskin and the Board of Supervisors, HSA/OEWD, and SF New Deal, to move $1.9 million in urgently needed emergency relief for Chinatown workers, businesses, and residents. This lifeline aid is critical given the particular crises facing Chinatown businesses since before the pandemic, and working families and elders sheltering in place in the SROs. We look forward to continued partnership for a long-term, just recovery for Chinatown and other communities across San Francisco, for which we need our restaurants and small businesses to not only survive but thrive as businesses, community institutions, and employers.” – Shaw San Liu, Executive Director, Chinese Progressive Association
“During these difficult times, small businesses are struggling to stay open. Yet with the help from the City's Chinatown Relief Fund and support from Chinatown CDC, we are able to sustain during the pandemic. We will never forget this generous support from the community.” – Hannah Zhang, Owner, iCafe
About Chinatown Community Development Center
The mission of the Chinatown Community Development Center is to build community and enhance the quality of life for San Francisco residents. We are a place-based community development organization serving primarily the Chinatown neighborhood, and also serve other areas including North Beach and the Tenderloin.
