By Barbara McMurray, Special to the Independent
When Sally’s Fund executive director Rachael Berger looked ahead to a busy summer of delivering weekly meals to Laguna Beach’s frail seniors, she suddenly faced a dangerously low roster of helpers. With the city resuming trolley service, one of Sally’s Fund’s drivers will return to his regular gig there, and another is moving out of state. The organization needed immediate help to avoid interruption of its Feed It Forward program, which delivers 100 hot meals prepared every Wednesday by local restaurant Harley. The pandemic-inspired program came about through a donation from Wolfram and Marianne Blume, who wanted to help a local restaurant survive the shutdown while providing local seniors with fresh-made gourmet meals.
To keep the hot Harley meals rolling, Berger put out a call to other service groups for volunteer drivers to start June 30. She was quickly awash in volunteers who heard of the need through the Assistance League, Ebell Club, and an informal network of community volunteers.
“Our community excels at helping each other when there’s a need,” said Sally’s Fund executive director Rachael Berger. “It was heartwarming to get so many calls once we put out the SOS for Wednesday meal deliveries. We’re grateful to have such a cohesive, caring community that places importance on taking care of our seniors.”
Many Sally’s Fund clients are frail elderly folks who sometimes need extra attention or a gentle reminder to make that doctor’s appointment. Aside from Wednesday meal deliveries, the nonprofit’s regular drivers do all this and more, Berger said.
Its paid drivers, Berger said, transport clients to medical appointments, wait with them, help them navigate facilities, assist with food shopping, and even help solve tech issues in their homes. They pay attention to each person’s general condition and report back if there’s a need so it can be attended to. Sally’s Fund is a lifeline for the nearly 300 older people it assists, at no cost to them.
Berger added that Sally’s Fund is hiring a paid driver for daily client transportation to medical and other appointments. Interested applicants can email her at [email protected]
Prior to the pandemic, Sally’s Fund stayed in its lane, offering free transportation for Laguna Beach’s seniors. It ferried riders to and from the Susi Q Senior Center for activities, drove clients to the Laguna Food Pantry to pick out grocery items and to medical and personal care appointments like hair salons and barbershops.
“Everything changed with the lockdown,” said Berger. “We at first thought, ‘well, everything is closed, there’s no place to take people, our organization is on hold.’ But it quickly became clear our clients were basically stranded without food, trolley service, and human contact. We were needed more than ever, and for much more than transportation. So, we sprang into action and expanded our services. It’s been a very rewarding, sometimes surprising, educational experience.”
Although timelines are still in flux, the worst seems to be over. The Susi Q is expected to reopen in the coming months. Rather than offering a retail-style experience, the pantry now prepares bags of food that are picked up and delivered to Sally’s Fund clients’ doors.
Support for Sally’s Fund comes from local churches, service clubs, businesses, foundations, individuals, and the City of Laguna Beach. Its aim is to help seniors in Laguna Beach continue living independently by offering custom transportation and other essential services that enhance the quality of their lives.
For more details, visit www.sallysfund.org
