Greetings! CASC is scheduled to host the City of Seattle Fire Department at FAME Church on Tuesday, April 13th for a Moderna Vaccine Pop-Up clinic. The clinic is by appointment only. Our priority is for older adults, African Americans and BIPOC, as I think many haven’t for a variety of reasons, not yet been vaccinated, however, anyone 18 and up would be eligible for the vaccines. Those persons 16 and 17 would not be able to be vaccinated at this time. The clinic will be using the Moderna vaccine. Only the Pfizer vaccine is allowed and approved for usage with those 16 and 17. I am attaching the most recent vaccine updated information. The process remains the same, we would need to capture, your name, address, phone, email (if one is available and/or use someone’s email who is close to you), and DOB. Our partners for the April 13th Moderna Vaccine Pop-up Clinic is FAME Church, Mt. Zion and First Student’s, the bus drivers for Seattle Public Schools.
FYI, On Friday of last week, I was in a Zoom Meeting with King County Public Health representatives. According to them, 85% of elders 65 and over have been vaccinated. However, of this population, they say only 40% of the African American elders in the Central District and King County have been vaccinated. I questioned them about this data and asked are these numbers accurate? My thoughts are that within the Central District, the data doesn’t account for those who no longer live in the Central District. They told me they really didn’t know, but it was a good question. Please call us at 206-726-4926 if you would like to sign up for the clinic on Tuesday, April 13th. Dian
We are grateful for the number of individuals who attended the Jackson Street Jazz Walk and contributed a donation to support our programs and activities. It was two enjoyable virtual concerts. One of our favorite activities at CASC pre-COVID-19 was hosting our 3rd Friday’s, Green Dolphin Lounge Live Music Bands. Eugenie Jones and her band is a favorite at the Central. Eugenie played a major role in coordinating this year’s Jackson Street Jazz Walk identifying us as a benefactor of the proceeds. We look forward to future concerts post COVID-19 when we can all gather again. In the interim we want to Thank-you her and the attendees for appreciating our work and supporting what we do.
We appreciate all the contributions received from the Jazz Walk and because of our COVID-19 vaccines clinics. They all come at a good time allowing us to continue to offer services to maintain the livelihood of the center. It benefits us, the Leschi neighborhood, the Central District, South Seattle, and our community partners throughout DesMoines and South King County. We find ourselves extremely busy during the pandemic and have concentrated our efforts on direct service work.
Owing to the Coronavirus and the requirement for spatial separation, it became necessary to readapt our programs and activities to serve seniors. No longer could we offer congregate meals a mainstay for socialization or our regular programs and activities. Within time we established some new adaptations.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, Central Area Senior Center was able to adapt our programming and activities to better serve seniors during a challenging year. We shifted our Community Dining lunch program to a take-out and delivery program and now serve between 40-100 meals daily depending on the menu selection that is offered. Our staff routinely performs wellness calls and help seniors’ complete forms for entitlement benefits, housing, health care enrollment and unemployment benefits.
We developed relationships with Safeway/Albertsons and Food Lifeline to purchase food and benefit from low cost and free food. These relationships allowed us to deliver essential groceries to over 200 seniors on a bi-weekly schedule. During 2020, we served 1,421 seniors and households; served 8,964 meals, distributed 1,849 grocery totes representing 35,498 pounds of food. We expect food insecurity to continue until economic conditions improve and seniors feel safe to move freely outside their homes.
Most recently CASC is partnering with Safeway/Albertson Pharmacy and the City of Seattle Fire Department to facilitate COVID-19 vaccines, including the first and second doses to seniors. These vaccinations are targeted to seniors and their caregivers within the B1 group, African American and BIPOC communities. We handle the registration process, set up the locations and handle all the logistics relative to getting seniors and their caregivers vaccinated. To date we have organized 4 clinics which have vaccinated 1900 seniors and caregivers in the B1 group. The vaccinations have been scheduled on Thursday’s four weeks apart in February and March at First African Methodist Episcopal (FAME) church.
Currently we are hosting another clinic on Tuesday, April 13th again at FAME with the City of Seattle Fire Department. Eligibility now includes everyone 18 and older, however, we continue to prioritize seniors, African Americans, BIPOC and those residing in Central and South Seattle neighborhoods and communities.
CASC decided to coordinate and facilitate the registration process one not opened to the public to ensure, it would not be an overwhelming process and our targeted populations would be reached. We invited other Community Based Organization’s and Churches to assist us in filling the 400 slots per clinic with their B1 seniors with designated slots allocated to them at specific times to vaccinate them. Each partner organization also provided volunteers and staff to help at the pop-up clinic.
We used telephone communication to assist with the notification process to those not adept with on-line processes and assisted with the completion of necessary forms in advance and on site with staff and volunteers. The outcomes have been rewarding for seniors, staff, and volunteers.
In 2020, we finally came to agreement on the negotiated language, terms and conditions for the transfer and sale of the building and property. Mayor Durkan recommended a transmittal of the property to the Seattle City Council and they unanimously voted to affirm the transfer of the building and property to us with the agreed upon terms. Board President Barbara Peete, board member Winona Hauge and I went downtown on December 15th to the City’s office of Department of Finance and Administrative Services where I signed the papers for ownership of the building.
All facets of these activities in 2020 and 2021 are/were costly and time consuming. Thus, it is with great appreciation we openly accept your donations in support of our work. It allows us to support the emergency food needs of our members and families within the community, to have hired an Attorney for negotiations with the City and to continue to service our members with new adapted programs and the set up of COVID-19 vaccination pop-up clinics. Food scarcity is unfortunately a continual reality of our times. We are grateful to have partners in this struggle to see that no one goes hungry and all seniors, essential workers and eventually educators, child-care workers and transit drivers can be vaccinated until we reach the entire adult population.
Thank-you for the generosity of your donations throughout 2020 and in our support in 2021. There were many organizations that you could have chosen to direct your gift towards. As our members age, they remain young in spirit. We want to continue to support them to live their best lives. CASC is thrilled to be on the receiving end of your philanthropic generosity. The year is already demonstrating itself to being an exciting time for us even as we adapt services.
CASC looks forward to the continuation of providing valuable services and programming to seniors and the community, as we adjust creatively with new virtual programming, social media instructions, increased meal and grocery services and COVID-19 vaccine pop-up clinics while offering a safe place to make connections in 2021.
Owing to the Coronavirus and the requirement for spatial separation, it became necessary to readapt our programs and activities to serve seniors this year. No longer could we offer congregate meals a mainstay for socialization or our regular programs and activities. Within the time we established some new adaptations.
Now we provide 40 – 100 to-go lunches daily prepared by Chef Anthony. We deliver some lunches and meals with basic groceries essentials on Wednesdays and Fridays. Presently we deliver upwards to 200 essential groceries bi-weekly, offer health and wellness calls, and help seniors complete forms for entitlement benefits like food, housing, health care enrollment, and unemployment support.
Office hours are being maintained, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday for this purpose. Staff and several volunteers are on-site daily helping to prepare and bag groceries, acting as drivers to deliver hot meals, and cold to go boxed lunches. Those picking up lunches can come through the front door and get them.
Spatial distance is being utilized. All staff members have their own offices. The dining hall is ample spacing for the preparation of the to-go hot meals, boxed lunches, and groceries to be delivered. Staff and volunteers have all been provided masks and nitrile gloves for usage.
Central Area Senior Center is in a healthy financial situation even as we maneuver our programs and activities adapting to the changing environment in which we currently operate. Donors have been generous. You are one more example of this generosity we are experiencing. During non-COVID-19 days revenue was generated by a variety of means, individuals, corporations, small businesses, grants from foundations, rental revenue, membership dues, and program fees. Presently our primary funds are coming from the government, foundations, corporations, and individual donors.
Last year, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced that the Central Area Senior Center and the Des Moines/Normandy Park Senior Activity Center were jointly awarded $1.5 million to support an innovative African Diaspora Hub. The funding for this 4.5-year effort was to bring more African American and African immigrant seniors into these centers. Through this partnership with DesMoines, CASC is providing a Chef, Chef Jackie Sue to cook African American-inspired meals for pick-up and to-go meals. They are currently also receiving and participating in our grocery delivery program.
In June of 2020, CASC was informed that The Central had been selected as one of the awardees for the HL 2A: Evidence-Based Senior Health Promotion funding with King County, Department of Community and Human Services, Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy. The total award amount for our agency was $458,430. The award period is effective from August 1, 2020, to December 31, 2023.
Most recently on Saturday, November 21st CASC partnered with several organizations including FAME church in the Central District and several South King County organizations to serve 460 seniors, individuals, and families as a drive-thru service (Federal Way), a pickup service (FAME), and a delivery service of homebound seniors with groceries including their choice of either a turkey, 17 lbs. – 20 lbs. and/or honey-baked ham.
We continued to face challenges in our campaign to receive a transfer/sale of the building and land from the City of Seattle. However, this fall following our meeting with the Mayor at the center and the Interdepartmental Leadership Team of the City of Seattle, (transfer/sale negotiators) momentum was gained. We hired a real estate lawyer, Connie Proctor, and jointly entered a more serious negotiation for the building and land. We finally came to an agreement on the negotiated language. The Mayor recommended a transmittal of the property to the Seattle City Council and they unanimously voted to affirm the transfer of the building and property to us with the agreed-upon terms. The official signing of the papers for the title and transfer is scheduled for Tuesday, December 15th, 2020.
All facets of these activities are costly and time consuming for us. Thus, it is with great appreciation we accept your donations to support our work allowing us to support the emergency food needs of our members and families within the community. Food scarcity is unfortunately a reality of our times. We are grateful to have partners in this struggle to see that no one goes hungry.
Thank you for the generosity of your donation and support this year during a pandemic, an inability to gather as we have in the past, and through the loss of members, family, and friends. Our hearts grieve for those that we have lost this year.
We wish you happiness and joy this Holiday Season and we are grateful for the time we could spend together via phone, emails, and digital means in 2020. We anticipate that things will not be radically different during the first quarter of the year, however, be on the lookout for the launching of our YouTube Channel, Zoom programming, and other digital activities. Our lending library of Tablets to engage with us is available once you sign up with Ray Bradley for an orientation and instructional session. Tablets can be on loan from the center at no cost to members for up to three months. Thank-you for adjusting with us as we adapted to many changes in 2020.
All in all, it has been an exciting and invigorating time for us. We Thank-you for taking this journey together with us. CASC will be closed from December 19th and re-open on Monday, January 4, 2021.
