San Mateo County plans to participate in the State of California's
Great Plates Delivered program, set up to support older adults who are sheltering in place, unable to access meals, and ineligible for other nutrition programs.
The Great Plates Delivered program provides three restaurant meals a day, five days per week, to older adults. Delivery is arranged by the food provider and requires that delivery workers be pre-vetted by background checks and other screening tools, likely tapping into existing delivery infrastructure.
To qualify, Menlo Park residents would need to meet the following:
- Individuals 65 or older, or 60-64 and at high-risk as defined by the Centers for Disease Control, including those who are medically documented as COVID-19 positive, COVID-19 exposed, or living with an underlying health condition;
- Individuals living alone or with one other program-eligible adult;
- Individuals not receiving assistance from other state or federal nutrition assistance programs;
- Individuals earning no more than 600% of the federal poverty limit, which is $74,940 or $101,460 for a household of two;
- Individuals who can affirm an inability to prepare or obtain meals.
The program is free of cost to participants and the majority of the cost will potentially be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State of California. The County of San Mateo will fund the remaining share of cost. Program costs to the funding parties for the three meals will be limited to $66 per day, including tax, delivery, and incidental costs – a maximum of $17 for breakfast, $18 for lunch, and $31 for dinner. Local restaurants will develop modified menus to meet nutritional guidelines and cost requirements. Residents are encouraged to call 800-675-8437, and speak to multi-lingual county staff to apply for meal delivery services.
For more information, visit the
County of San Mateo website.
