• SAN RAMON, CA - OCTOBER 26: Katharine Broadnax washes tomatoes in her kitchen on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, in San Ramon, Calif. Broadnax got the tomatoes from a friend's garden to supplement the food she receives from the Meals on Wheels Diablo Region program. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

  • SAN RAMON, CA - OCTOBER 26: Katharine Broadnax is photographed in her home on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, in San Ramon, Calif. Broadnax receives from the Meals on Wheels Diablo Region program. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

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  • SAN RAMON, CA - OCTOBER 26: Katharine Broadnax is photographed in her kitchen on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, in San Ramon, Calif. Broadnax receives from the Meals on Wheels Diablo Region program. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

  • SAN RAMON, CA - OCTOBER 26: Katharine Broadnax is photographed in her kitchen on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, in San Ramon, Calif. Broadnax receives from the Meals on Wheels Diablo Region program. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

Katharine Broadnax, who has successfully fought cancer twice, including a recent battle, was doubly worried about her health when the COVID-19 pandemic descended.

She knew that older people were susceptible, and that cancer patients and survivors were at twice the risk. Broadnax, 77, knew her best chance for survival was to hunker down in her San Ramon apartment, avoiding outside trips and exposure to people, even her friends and family.

She wasn’t sure how she could manage that until someone suggested she contact Meals on Wheels Diablo Region, which offers Contra Costa County seniors meal deliveries to their homes, along with an assortment of other programs.

“There was a lot of uncertainty,” Broadnax said. “I wasn’t even sure they would accept me. I thought with all the budget cuts and so many people needing food that this service didn’t exist anymore.”

It does, and after speaking to the organization on a Thursday, her first meals arrived the next Monday.

“It’s definitely helped,” Broadnax said. “I can get other food to cook — I like to cook — but this really helps make up the difference, and I don’t have to go out.”

Caitlyn Sly, executive director of Meals on Wheels Diablo Region, says the program, funded through government grants, charitable contributions and support from companies and foundations, has seen the number of people needing help increase during the pandemic.

“We serve 6,000 people every month,” Sly said, “and it’s growing. We’re up 40 percent since the pandemic started.”

Meals on Wheels Diablo Region has received funding this year from Share the Spirit, an annual holiday campaign that serves disadvantaged residents in the East Bay. Donations will help support 41 nonprofit agencies in Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

Those who, like Broadnax, live in retirement homes and communities were already having little contact with the outside world. Sly says many are now even more isolated.

Because of health issues and their ages, many have taken the order to shelter in place seriously, and those who used to visit and help them with daily activities have found themselves cut off for now.

One client in her 90s, Sly said, told the group that a “young friend” had been helping her.

“Her young friend was 79 years old,” Sly said. “More and more, older seniors are relying on younger seniors to step in and fill that void, but they can’t always.”

Broadnax said she fell into a little bit of a depression after so many days of quarantine, so the person who delivers her meals, even though the smile is hidden by a mask, is a welcome sight.

Meals on Wheels Diablo Region is unique among its brother and sister organizations. It provides not only meals but also programs, most of which have been converted to online.

The organization has a “Fall Prevention” program to help people remain independent in their homes. Falls are the leading reason people end up in institutional care, so the organization offers balance classes and conducts home safety assessments and modifications, such as installing grip bars and ramps.

It also has an “Artful Aging” program that involves exercise classes and tips, nutritional education, workshops and information on emerging health therapies.

Because isolation has been linked to increased health problems and depression, the organization also has a “Friendly Visitor” program, now offered online or through phone calls.

The “Care Management” program provides confidential guidance to help people and their families navigate housing, elder abuse, depression and long-term care needs.

The coronavirus has made offering all of these services somewhat challenging, Sly said, so to assist with that, Meals on Wheels Diablo Region plans to use the Share the Spirit grant to help purchase 40 electronic tablets to distribute to participants. With the tablets, preloaded with apps such as Zoom, which hosts online meetings among multiple people, they’ll be able to make contact with friends and family, take exercise classes and be more a part of the outside world while staying safe inside.

Broadnax said she’s been able to use her computer to talk with her scattered family via Zoom, and it’s been a blessing to her.

Sly said the community as a whole has been very supportive, but she wonders how long it can continue.

“The community knows that seniors are the most at risk,” she said. “I hope that people can continue and have the stamina to keep giving. It does make a difference.”

Broadnax said she also is donating to the group. Even though she knows it’s not enough to cover the cost of meals she receives, she wants to pay back as much as she can.

If there’s been a silver lining in this troubling pandemic, Sly said it is that the plight of the older citizen is being noticed and that people are more aware of the problems they face.

“For us,” Sly said, “we really want people to know that Meals on Wheels is much more than just a meal.”

Share the Spirit

The Share the Spirit holiday campaign, sponsored by the Bay Area News Group, funds nonprofit holiday and outreach programs in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

To make a tax-deductible contribution, clip the coupon accompanying this story or go to https://ift.tt/2BuSFSX. Readers with questions, and individuals or businesses interested in making grants or contributions, may contact the Share the Spirit program at 925-472-5760 or sharethespirit@crisis-center.org.