Gift cards to those who help others protect themselves from COVID-19

La Opinion published an article regarding SBSS’ Dinner and a Dose program.

Translated version below:

St. Barnabas Senior Services rewards volunteers who take seniors to receive the vaccine with a dinner.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan tells the story of a man who found a wounded traveler on his way and stopped to help him, bandaged his wounds and, mounting his horse, took him to an inn and cared for him.

During the covid-19 pandemic, millions of good Samaritans gave their time and effort to help others and are still doing so. Such is the case of Zoila Esperanza Carrillo, a 76-year-old immigrant from Guatemala, who wanted to make sure her friend Ana Arévalo received the vaccine and is protected against the pandemic.

Zoila and Ana met years ago when they both worked caring for people at home. Over the years, Ana lost her sight until she became blind.

“My friend Ana worked all her life like me, in Home Care. She had a work permit and now that she is blind, she doesn’t receive a cent from the government," shared Zoila, in an interview with this media outlet. "Before the pandemic I liked to pick her up, take her to afternoon Mass. Every time I had a little change, I liked to invite her to eat, or look for some little thing to give her," he added.

But everything changed with the pandemic and, momentarily, the friends stopped meeting and going out. But Zoila continued to watch over Ana, and when St. Barnabas Senior Services organized a vaccination clinic, she made sure to pick her up and take her to receive her immunization.

Zoila, who lost another good friend to covid-19 in February this year, also took another friend and her daughter to be vaccinated.

"I'm happy to help people. Thank God, I have someone to help me and so I can help my friends," she explained.

A dinner and a dose (Una cena y una dosis)

To reward Zoila and other good Samaritans who take their grandparents, family members and other loved ones to get vaccinated, St. Barnabas Senior Services (SBSS), in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), created the "A Dinner and a Dose" program, which hands a $25 DoorDash card to those who take others to get vaccinated.

On Wednesday of this week, during an emotional event, SBSS announced the new program by presenting the card to Zoila and other good Samaritans so they can share a dinner together, after getting vaccinated.

The initiative began on June 9 and will go on until the stock of gift cards is exhausted.

"Dinner and a Dose" is part of SBSS' efforts to increase vaccination in Los Angeles, especially among low-income elderly people with limited English language," explained Trisha Hanudel Lopez, SBSS Director of Development. The center, one of three from the nonprofit, is located near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, an area where 48.5% of the population is Latino, 11.6% Asian and where nearly 60% of its residents speak a language other than English at home.

"Through the campaign, we hope seniors can safely reconnect with their loved ones, starting with a meal we invite them to," added Hanudel Lopez.

"We serve older adults, a vulnerable population with many needs, from housing, to transportation, to health care. But seniors also have a great need to connect socially," explained Miguel Velasquez, Administrator of the SBSS center located near MacArthur Park. This new program allows third-party people to reconnect, after being vaccinated and share a dinner with a loved one.

Vaccination in the family

Los Angeles resident Maggie Escobar was another good Samaritan whose actions were rewarded by SBSS. With the arrival of the pandemic, Maggie and her family decided to quarantine together.

"My children moved into my house and there were nine of us in total. From my 82-year-old mother to the youngest, 7 months old, we decided to quarantine at my home," explained the Latina mother. Many of the Latino households in Los Angeles are multigenerational and include grandparents, babies, and uncles, and other relatives of different ages.

With the authorization of the vaccines, Maggie decided that they would vaccinate two at a time, so that there would always be someone who could take care of the rest.

"We were all a little scared, we didn't know what to expect, but one by one they got vaccinated," explained Maggie, who, like so many Latina mothers put her children and family first, and was the last to receive the immunization, to make sure everyone was okay.

During the launch of the program Dinner and a Dose, Maggie also received her DoorDash card that she will share with her loved ones.

Multi-ethnic population

The zip code in which the SBSS center is located is home to immigrant families, not only Hispanic, but also Asian, with a high rate of Korean immigrants.

During the launch of the new program, food cards were also handed out to Korean residents who took the time to take someone to get the vaccine and protect themselves against COVID-19.

The SBSS center, founded in 1908, serves people over the age of 70 on average, who generally live alone, with few family members and speak very little English. The 35% of those attending the center are Asian, 33% Latino, 25% white and 6% African American. Most of the seniors served by the organization rely on their Social Security of $800-$900 a month to cover all their expenses and depend on Medicare and Medicaid for their health care.

"God and my parents blessed me with a big heart," Zoila said upon receiving her gift card."I am always looking to do charity work. It gives me great joy to be able to help," she concluded.

In detail

A Dinner and a Dose: SBSS is offering a DoorDash card to those who take the time to take a family member, friend or community member to vaccinate.

For more information you can visit: www.sbssla.org/dinner-a-a-dose or call 213-435-3993.

To view the article in Spanish, please visit: https://laopinion.com/2021/06/10/tarjetas-de-regalo-a-quienes-ayudan-a-otros-a-protegerse-del-covid-19/

Check out our Dinner and a Dose press event in English, Spanish, and Korean.

Hear Maggie, Zoila and Anna, and Mr. Lee share their own experiences in keeping their communities healthy.

St. Barnabas Senior Services and the California Department of Public Health launch “Dinner and a Dose” campaign to give gift cards to people who help others get their COVID-19 vaccine

(Los Angeles, California – June 9, 2021) St. Barnabas Senior Services partnered with the California Department of Public Health to launch "Dinner and a Dose" today, a campaign that gives $25 DoorDash (a food delivery app) gift cards to people who take the time to help their older friends, family, or community members get the COVID-19 vaccine.

After helping someone get their COVID-19 vaccine, participants should fill out, and submit a photo through, an online form to receive their gift card. The form and more instructions can be found at www.sbssla.org/dinner-and-a-dose. “Dinner and a Dose” will run from June 9, 2021 until supplies last.

“Dinner and a Dose” is part of St. Barnabas’s ongoing efforts to increase vaccination rates in Los Angeles, particularly among low-income seniors with limited English proficiency. The campaign was conceived to make vaccines more accessible for people who face barriers to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, such as lack of transportation or technology, disabilities, or limited mobility.

“Through the campaign, we hope that older adults can begin to reconnect safely with their loved ones – starting with a meal on us,” says Trisha Hanudel Lopez, Director of Development for St. Barnabas Senior Services.

A leader in the aging services sector, St. Barnabas Senior Services has been at the forefront of providing accurate, timely information about COVID-19 and vaccines to seniors in Los Angeles. The organization has devoted itself to helping disadvantaged older adults get vaccinated, establishing a COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Center and hosting talks on vaccine equity and safety.

Most significantly, St. Barnabas organized and hosted a week-long community vaccine clinic at its Mid-City location in April 2021. In partnership with Kaiser Permanente, they distributed over 1,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to older adults, their caregivers, and members of local communities. St. Barnabas’s multi-lingual staff facilitated vaccine appointments in English, Spanish, Korean, and Mandarin.

“I see ‘Dinner and a Dose’ as a natural extension of the work we did with the vaccine clinic in April,” explains Hanudel. “[With the clinic,] we saw how important the vaccine was in helping family members feel safe reconnecting with each other. We gave vaccines to not only older adults, but also to their loved ones: family members, friends, and caregivers. With ‘Dinner and a Dose,’ we hope to see more vulnerable older adults get vaccinated, with the help of the ‘good Samaritans in their own lives, so they can feel safe in seeing with their loved ones again.”

For questions, please contact Trisha Hanudel Lopez at phanudel@sbssla.org or call 213-355-8554.

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St. Barnabas Provides COVID-19 Vaccines to Older Adults & Their Loved Ones in Pop-Up Clinic

Since 1908, St. Barnabas Senior Services (SBSS) has been supporting older adults in Los Angeles to help them live well, feel well, and age well with dignity and respect.

COVID-19 has not changed that mission one bit. 

In fact, SBSS has risen to the occasion throughout the pandemic, providing safe transportation, access to food, and online and telephone services to senior Angelenos. Now, SBSS has been able to offer one of the most important forms of support and care during this time: safe access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

From April 6-10, St. Barnabas Senior Services partnered with Kaiser Permanente in SBSS’s first-ever COVID-19 Vaccine Pop-Up Clinic.

With easy sign-ups and an organized flow, the pop-up clinic provided a convenient environment for older adults to receive a one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered by Kaiser Permanente.

“It’s an easy, seamless environment where all people need to show is proof of identification to get the vaccine,” said Maggie Escobar, Executive Assistant at St. Barnabas Senior Services.

Offering Accessible Vaccination

Safely held in a beautiful courtyard outside the Mid-City location on Carondelet Street, the clinic was organized and executed smoothly and quickly. With the goal of getting older adults vaccinated as quickly as possible, SBSS contacted Kaiser as soon as a vaccine was made available.

“St. Barnabas reached out to a Kaiser representative and told us, ‘We want to be able to give vaccines in our neighborhood’,” said Nalani Coleman, Department Administrator at Kaiser. “That representative reached out to the mobile health vehicle team and that's when the ball started rolling.”

Approximately two weeks later, the clinic was up and running and receiving 200 adults per day.

“Most clinics have maybe 150 patients the first day and 75 the next day,” said Nalani. “But the staff at SBSS worked their tails off to get 200 sign-ups for every single day, which makes the event go so much smoother. They were absolute rock stars.”

“It’s a lot of work on the back end. But everyone involved has been so dedicated and passionate about this process and this event. So it's been a lot of fun,” added Nalani.

The dedication put into the clinic was evident: A steady stream of vaccine recipients entered the courtyard throughout the day to register with a friendly SBSS staff member. They then waited comfortably under a socially-distanced tent until they were directed to Kaiser staff to get their vaccine.

After receiving the vaccine, participants were directed to a second tent, where a nurse would monitor them for 15 minutes to make sure there were no adverse side effects.

Of the entire process, Mike, 74, remarked, “I'm happy. We came in and out. It was easy.”

Mike came to the clinic with his neighbor and friend, Julia. Hearing about the event by word of mouth, Julia, 84, told Mike about the clinic and then registered them both online. “It’s been a pleasant experience in the courtyard. There’s sunshine, trees, and a nice breeze.”

The overall feel of the pop-up clinic was hopeful, calm, and happy, as participants finally received the vaccine that would allow them to begin to return to a state of normalcy.

Haley, 22, came with her entire family to get the vaccine.

“I live with my grandparents (my mother’s parents) and my grandma (my father’s mother). They’re all over 90,” said Haley. “So we all decided to get the vaccine.”

Haley’s mother found out about the clinic through a Korean community group. She then signed the entire family up online.

“I feel like everyone will eventually get the vaccine and hopefully go back to life like it was before,” said Haley.

Connecting with the Local Community Through Grassroots Advocacy & Volunteer Work

To spread awareness and reach older adults in the community who may not use the Internet, SBSS took a grassroots approach to marketing. Part of that grassroots approach involved distributing flyers on foot throughout the neighborhoods surrounding the Mid-City location.

That also meant raising awareness in multiple languages to reach a diverse population. 33% of older adult participants at St. Barnabas are Korean and 33% are Hispanic, with many non-native English speakers. 

“We disseminated a lot of flyers in English, Spanish, and Korean. We posted them at the laundromats and coffee shops,” said Maggie Escobar. “We used old school, grassroots advocacy to get the word out. People went to wash their clothes and they learned about how they could get a vaccine.”

The pop-up clinic was also prepared to receive vaccine recipients who might not speak English, with multilingual volunteers ready to help them fill out forms and understand the process.

“It’s been nice for me to help people who may not be able to get the vaccine otherwise,” said Hannah Baek, a Korean translation volunteer. “A lot of Koreans have found it difficult to make an appointment elsewhere because they’ve had trouble filling out forms online, so they’ve just given up on getting the vaccine.”

HyonJu Lee, 85, has been volunteering with St. Barnabas Senior Services since 2006, when he came to the United States from Korea with his wife. He started working with SBSS to help other seniors acclimate to the U.S.

“My goal is to return the knowledge I have received back to society,” said HyonJu. “It’s been a normal part of my life to volunteer.”

Accomplishing the Task Through Teamwork

At the end of the day, SBSS and Kaiser partnered together through this event to administer 1,006 vaccinations to adults in Los Angeles–including a large population of seniors, their loved ones, and caregivers. 

The event was a smooth success, and ideally, will have helped the lives of participants return to a state of normalcy. But it didn’t happen without effort. Partnership, planning, and passion were essential to the event.

“We had a goal of 1,000 vaccines and we met the goal,” said Maggie Escobar. “Without teamwork, we couldn’t have gotten this done.”

COVID-19 Vaccine Pop-up Clinic

St. Barnabas is proud to announce a partnership with Kaiser Permanente. On April 6th-April 10th from 8:00 am to 3 pm, the clinic will provide vaccinations for older adults, caregivers, friends and family over the age of 18.

You can call 213-435-3993 to make an appointment. We are excited to play a role in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring the safety of older adults! Please visit our COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Center page for more information about vaccines and how they work.

SBSS Partners with SoCalGas to Help You Save Money

We are thrilled to announce our 2021 partnership with SoCalGas, who has been offering lowered gas bills and energy efficient options for our older adults. If you or a loved one is having trouble with gas bills, please call SBSS at 213-388-4444. Together, SBSS and SoCalGas are here for you.