As the City of San Francisco entered shelter-in-place this time last year, a group of San Francisco residents, restaurateurs, local businesses and community-based organizations came together to form the SF New Deal. Through a food distribution initiative, the grassroots organization has helped keep local restaurants and their employees afloat while providing support and care to the broader community. In the past year, the program has expanded to provide supportive services and financial opportunities for small businesses. Most recently, they worked in collaboration with the Chinatown Community Development Center, San Francisco’s Department of Disability and Aging Services and Supervisor Aaron Peskin to launch Feed and Fuel 2.0, which provides meals prepared by more than 50 different restaurants to thousands of seniors and residents in single room occupancy buildings. Hear from the architects of these innovative programs and how their model — creating holistic, people-centered solutions to uplift local businesses and community — could and should be replicated across the Bay Area to achieve meaningful health and economic recovery from the pandemic.
+ Rosa Chen / Chinatown Community Development Center
+ Rose Johns / San Francisco Human Services Agency
+ Supervisor Aaron Peskin / District 3
+ Jacob Bindman / SF New Deal
+ Janelle Bitker / San Francisco Chronicle