In the wintertime, I look forward to gathering with family and friends around our traditional holiday dishes and celebrating together the many blessings in our lives. We have so much to be grateful for; and speaking on behalf of all of us at On Lok, we could not be more thankful to you for your continued support of our work. Your generosity has been critical to our success and will be even more so in the coming months.

As we partake in the joys of the holidays, and reflect on all we have and cherish, I hold in my thoughts our most vulnerable elders, for whom this time of year may be a painful reminder of the loved ones they have lost and the daily struggle to simply put a meal on the table.

Hunger and social isolation are still prevalent in our communities, and they are especially devastating for older people. In California, 12.5% of those 60 years and older have faced hunger in the past 12 months. Many are forced to choose between paying rent or buying nourishing food. Food insecurity is often associated with loneliness, and in fact over one-quarter of seniors who go hungry are socially isolated. These conditions all have a serious impact on physical and mental health, quality of life, and longevity.

At On Lok, we are deep in the community every day, to combat hunger and isolation where they cause the most suffering. We serve daily meals planned by dietitians through On Lok PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), our full-service healthcare program, and the On Lok Mission Nutrition senior meals program at On Lok 30th Street Senior Center, funded by San Francisco’s Department of Disability and Aging Services and grants and donations from supporters like you. This year, we also launched our On Lok Medically Tailored Meals program, which provides nutritionally targeted meals to San Francisco Health Plan members with congestive heart failure and kidney disease. Through all these programs, we strive to deliver on our mission to feed our community, one mouth at a time.

Last year, On Lok Mission Nutrition served 322,000 meals to more than 2,700 seniors across San Francisco. Our drivers delivered two meals per day to 557 homebound elders, taking the time to say hello and to check on their safety. Combined with On Lok PACE, that’s 764,500 meals served to seniors at their home and in our dining rooms, where they can eat in the company of peers in a caring and vibrant environment.

For many program participants, a meal is often the first of a lifeline of services that On Lok can deliver across the continuum of aging to support wellbeing and independence, including social activities, case management, health promotion classes, and On Lok PACE for seniors and caregivers in need of long-term care services.

These programs are thriving, and with 10,000 people turning 65 every day, we have an unprecedented opportunity to scale them and make a huge positive difference, the greatest impact since founding PACE. Over the next two to five years, we are expanding our infrastructure to better leverage our assets and operations. We are feeding more people through On Lok Mission Nutrition and growing On Lok PACE in East and South Bay communities, with two new PACE centers in Union City and South San Jose scheduled to open in Winter 2025, enabling us to serve hundreds more low-income seniors who can benefit from PACE.

All these exciting developments would not be possible without your help, and with so many plans to meet our communities’ needs breaking ground now, this is the best time to renew your support. Your gift of any amount today helps to ensure the sustainability of programs that ease people’s suffering. Together, we can continue to meet our community’s growing needs for food, care, and that human connection that has always distinguished On Lok. Thanking you once again for your trust in our work, I wish you and your family happy and safe holidays.

With gratitude,

Grace