Senate Leader Atkins Names Serving Seniors 2020 Nonprofit of the Year
SAN DIEGO, CA– State Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) has announced the selection of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit committed to providing low-income and homeless seniors with wraparound services, as the 2020 Nonprofit of the Year for Senate District 39.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, Senator Atkins will make her formal announcement virtually during the organization’s October 27 Board Meeting.
“The year 2020 has been challenging for everyone, but particularly for our seniors,” said Senator Atkins. “Since the pandemic began, Serving Seniors went from serving an average 57,000 meals monthly to over 200,000. In addition to providing meals, this collaborative and energetic team of nurses, social workers, and care navigators also provided our seniors integrated tele-health and social services to address their needs, including the impacts of social isolation. Serving Seniors is a lifeline for so many in our community, and continue to be a role model for us all.”
This year’s honor also coincides with Serving Seniors’ 50th anniversary. The organization serves low-income older adults aged 60 and above. Working at 15 sites across the county and in the homes of hundreds of homebound seniors, Serving Seniors is the largest provider of meals to seniors in the county, and one of the only organizations in the nation providing such a broad base of services to vulnerable, at-risk older adults.
“We are honored that Serving Seniors was selected by Senator Atkins as a California Nonprofit of the Year,” said Paul Downey, CEO of Serving Seniors. “Our staff, volunteers and community partners make all of our work possible and their dedicated support alongside Senator Atkins ensure that San Diego’s most vulnerable population has a safety net.”
Serving Seniors’ clientele grew exponentially from 5,500 to 8,021 this year, with seniors receiving everything from meals to social and health services.
This is the fifth year of the California Nonprofit of the Year initiative, and with nonprofits doing more than ever to help their communities weather this COVID-19 crisis, their work should rightfully be celebrated.
“Nonprofits are often hidden in plain sight,” explains Jan Masaoka, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits). “With one in every 14 California jobs being at a nonprofit, honoring a California Nonprofit of the Year shows that elected officials recognize and celebrate the good work they see nonprofits doing in their districts. We urge everyone to appreciate the collective impact of nonprofits in our communities.”
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Toni G. Atkins is President pro Tempore of the California Senate. Having previously served as Speaker of the California Assembly, she began her tenure in the Senate in 2016. As Senator for District 39, she represents the cities of San Diego, Coronado, Del Mar and Solana Beach. Website of President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins: www.senate.ca.gov/Atkins