Many of the venues hosting Community Cafés for Boston-area elders have been temporarily closed as a precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These are places that many LGBTQ seniors, among the most vulnerable, rely on for meals and social connection.
In response, the group that runs the Community Cafés, Ethos—the Jamaica Plain–based nonprofit that operates Boston’s Meals on Wheels program for homebound elders—has stepped up by providing “Grab & Go” meals at a number of these locations.
Café Emmanuel (located at 15 Newbury Street in Boston), which caters to LGBT elders, is offering Grab & Go from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Unfortunately, Café Pride in Jamaica Plain, Out2Brunch at Goddard House in Brookine, Out2 Brunch at Roslindale House in Roslindale, and Out2Supper at Mount Pleasant Home in JP are not currently serving Grab & Go meals.
However everyone is welcome at the sites that are able to provide the “Grab & Go” meals. To find a list of these sites, see this list on Ethos’ website. (Check out the list too for any updates on locations that may be offering Grab & Go in the future.)
Meanwhile, the Meals on Wheels program is still delivering. (If you, or someone you know, is 60 or older, and is interested in receiving meals on wheels, please call (617) 477-6606 or go to ethocare.org.)
Ethos chief executive Valerie Frias, former executive director of Greater Boston PFLAG, speaking of the recent increased demand for their services, told the Boston Globe, “I don’t think we’ve hit the peak of this in Boston.”
“We’re going full-tilt, more than full-tilt,” she said, and Ethos is “going to continue to serve the elderly population.”
Reported the Globe:
“There has been no interruption in services so far. But as demand increases and senior sites such as adult day centers close, Frias said her organization expects to need more volunteers and building capacity for food preparation. …
“The virus is proving particularly challenging for homeless Bostonians who are having to keep moving in and out of shelters and are discouraged from congregating, depriving them of the daily social contact they previously had.
“Frias said seniors in the city’s LGBTQ community, some of whom have weakened immune systems because of exposure to HIV, which causes AIDS, are also staying close to home and being especially careful to avoid large crowds.
“’You’re seeing a lot of stresses on all the [social] systems,’ Frias said.”
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