Support for Medical Baseline Customers During Power Outages
Are you prepared for a power outage? Rather than install a fossil fuel generator, apply to get your back-up electricity from a clean, non-polluting, off-grid battery. MCE, PG&E, and the Independent Living Resources of Solano and Contra Costa want to help you prepare for Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) and other emergencies. Apply today to learn more about saving money on your electric bill with Medical Baseline, getting a back-up portable battery to shelter-in-place during an outage, creating a disaster plan, or upgrading your home’s health and safety: click here
Need a longer-term solution than this off-grid battery? If you qualify for Medical Baseline you may be eligible for funds through California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) to install a larger system in your home: Click here.
Drive-Through Food Distribution in Your City
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties are offering weekly drive-thru style distributions in locations throughout both counties. They provide a box of nonperishable food and a bag of produce for each household. You do not need to be a resident of the city with the distribution to receive food. Choose the city you live in to see a list of Food Bank programs and services available. This list is updated weekly. Click here.
To find emergency food from partner pantries or soup kitchens – or to get help with CalFresh– please contact the Food Bank at 1-855-309-3663 (FOOD)
Extra CalFresh Cash Benefits During COVID-19
If you get CalFresh, you may get extra CalFresh benefits on your EBT card to help buy food during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in April and May. Please click here for more information.
Help in Getting Stimulus Dollars
Spark Point Contra Costa can help people get their federal stimulus dollars in their hands quicker because we're still providing free tax preparation. So, this is a way for folks who have not done so to have an opportunity to get their taxes done now. (People who have done their 2018-2019 will get their stimulus dollars most quickly.) You must make an appointment. Call 925-671-4597.
Sparkpoint Centers are a new initiative offering one-stop assistance for low-income families and individuals to help them become financially stable, including high wage job training, and debt and credit counseling.
En Espanol
Vision y Compromiso has a series of COVID-19 webinars in Spanish for promotores, community health leaders and community health workers.
http://visionycompromiso.org/webinars-2/
Contra Costa County Services During COVID-19
For information about COVID-19, from Contra Costa Health Services, click here or call the Coronavirus Call Center: 844 729-8410.
For information about services from Contra Costa Employment and Human Services during the COVID-19 emergency, click here.
For information about Crisis Center resources in Contra Costa y en espanol, click here.
Local Food Resources
Contra Costa County COVID-19 Food Distribution Map:
Easily find food bank, school meal, and senior center food distribution sites
As the economic toll of COVID-19 hits our communities hard, hunger is a growing concern.
Fortunately, free and low-cost food providers are ramping up their service, in a way that maintains social distancing.
To help you find food, Contra Costa County has a new GIS (global information system) mapping tool. It can be used on any mobile device, just like searching for the nearest gas station or cafe on your phone. The tool, developed by the County's IT Department, incorporates data from the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, school districts, senior centers, and other food organizations. It is a community tool and will be continually updated.
Please click here to use this important food-distribution tool.
Women, Infants & Children (WIC)
WIC food benefits are considered an essential service. We will strive to continue to serve our community during this time under the governor’s and local Health Officer’s order. Currently, we are providing all WIC services over the phone, including new enrollments. To protect you and our WIC staff, all in-person appointments are suspended at this time. Please stay at home. The new WIC Card and WIC app make it easy for you to access your benefits electronically.
Community members should call their local WIC offices to enroll or certify, obtain future food benefits, reschedule, get breastfeeding help, or to get questions answered.
For the most up-to-date information including holidays, income guidelines, and other resources visit foodbankccs.org/getfood or call 855-309-FOOD (3663).
WIC provides healthy foods and support services to families. If your income has been affected by recent events, and you are pregnant, recently had a baby, or have an infant or child under the age of five, you may be qualified to receive WIC services.
Applying is easy and quick. You will receive your food benefits within a few days.
You can apply online at cchealth.org/wic or call 1 (800) 414-4WIC.
- Concord & Crossroad WIC: (925) 646-5370
- Brentwood WIC: (925) 513-6880
- Pittsburg WIC: (925) 431-2460
- San Pablo WIC: (510) 942-4000
Please note that California WIC started monthly auto issuance of benefits and extended some certifications for those who were eligible. This means if you have a WIC card, you may already have your benefits pre-loaded. You can check your California WIC app for benefits.
If you have any additional questions, please contact your local WIC program at 1 (800) 414-4WIC. For further Covid-19-related information, please visit the county website at: cchealth.org or CDPH website.
Please note that WIC is safe to use and does not affect immigration status for anyone who is currently in the U.S. WIC is not considered a part of public charge. We are here to help!
Community Produce Program
This program provides 15-20 pounds of FREE fresh produce to low-income families and individuals twice a month. Please bring two bags with handles. Choose ONE location:
- Immaculate Heart of Mary, 500 Fairview Ave, Brentwood, 2nd & 4th Tuesday, 12:00-1:00pm
- The Commons, 53 Carol Ln, Oakley, 2nd & 4th Tuesday, 2:00-3:00pm
- Brentwood Community UMC, 218 Pine St, Brentwood, 2nd & 4th Tuesday, 4:00-5:00pm
- New Covenant Church, 6080 Bethel Island Rd, Bethel Island, 1st & 3rd Sunday, 1:00-2:00pm
- The Dwelling Place Church, 90 Village Dr, Brentwood, 1st & 3rd Sunday, 3:00-4:00pm
Food Assistance Program
FREE groceries once a month for low-income individuals and families. Bring a picture ID and proof of address (PG&E bill, for example), if you have it.
- Brentwood Community UMC, 218 Pine St, Brentwood
- Monday & Wednesday, 9:00am-12:00pm
Food for Children
Boxes of FREE healthy food every month for children ages 4-6 years old. Bring a picture ID and proof of address (PG&E bill, for example), as well as proof of child’s birthday.
- Brentwood Community UMC, 218 Pine St, Brentwood,
- Monday & Wednesday, 9:00am-12:00pm
Senior Food Programs
- St. Anthony’s Church, 971 O’Hara Ave, Oakley, 2nd & 4th Thursday, 9:30-10:30am
- Brentwood Senior Center, 193 Griffith Ln, Brentwood, 2nd & 4th Thursday, 10:00-11:00am
- Oakley Senior Center, 215 Second St, Oakley, Fridays 9am-11am. Bring own bag.
Other Options
- Call the Food Bank (925) 676-7543 to learn about other available food resources.
- CalFresh (the Food Bank can help you apply for this government program)
- Our partner pantries and soup kitchens (for emergency food)
- WIC (for pregnant women and mothers with children 0-5 years old) (see above)
- Open Heart Kitchen -- Free hot meals available to the public. Monday-Friday 1:00 - 3:00 pm at Robert Livermore Community Center, 4444 East Ave, Livermore. They also offer free to-go meals for seniors. Mon-Fri. Reservations requested by 1pm the prior business day. 925-500-8241.
Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa County
Our dining rooms are partially closed. No communal dining; they are serving "to go" meals outside from the doors of our dining rooms with groceries. They are serving at the dining rooms located in Oakley, Martinez, Antioch and Pittsburg and serving to our partner Trinity Center in Walnut Creek.
Meals on Wheels Diablo Region:
Home delivered meals are continuing uninterrupted. MOW Café’s are transferring to a weekly frozen delivery of 7 meals every Tuesday. They have to sign up by the Monday afternoon before to receive meals.
- Meal deliveries remain uninterrupted. In fact, we are serving more seniors now than before. We have increased staff hours to ensure meals are delivered to those in need. We are providing additional protective supplies to our drivers and instructing them to leave the meal on the senior’s porch, to ring the doorbell, and then to back away and watch the client get the meal.
- Clients that previously attended our Cafés will be receiving 7 frozen meals delivered every week.
- Our Friendly Visitors program is providing all their services over the phone. We are planning to ramp up calling services for seniors who find themselves newly isolated during this time when social isolation is necessary but can be negative for so many.
- Our Fall Prevention and Health and Exercise classes are temporarily suspended. Seniors attend our classes for both the health and social benefits. We are reaching out to them to ensure they are not isolated during this time.
- Our Care Management department is still providing case management and crisis management services. They are doing this over the phone and are ramping up service to help seniors process this crisis.
We have received an outpouring of support from the community wanting to volunteer. Our existing volunteers have stepped up to help and we will reach out to new interested volunteers as the need increases. If you are interested in volunteering, please apply online.
Raley’s- Senior Essentials Bay ($20)
Intended for seniors and at-risk customers in self-isolation or quarantine, team members will build as many Senior Essentials Bags as they can each night and put them in the front of their sores each day at 7 am. They will be available to customers each day depending on inventory levels and while supplies last. Items included in bags will be a mix of fresh items and pantry staples.
White Pony Express
White Pony Express remains OPEN for business. It continues to rescue nutritious fresh food from supermarkets and restaurants and deliver it free to those in need in our communities.
WPE’s School Food Pantry Program is continuing to deliver food to free-lunch schools in the county. However, because the schools have closed, this food is now being taken to alternative distribution sites where the food is being made available to the school families.
- WPE will make limited deliveries of needed clothing for the foreseeable future.
- No donations of clothing will be accepted while the shelter-in-place order is in effect.
- WPE has implemented stringent health guidelines in place to protect its volunteers.
- These protocols (hand washing, use of hand sanitizers, gloves, social distancing, etc.) are now a part of all WPE’s food and clothing operations.
Volunteers are urgently needed as some volunteers wish to self-isolate.
Those who wish to volunteer can sign up at
https://www.whiteponyexpress.org/covid-19-response-volunteer
A list of Contra Costa Social Services Closures & Operations During COVID-19
Employment & Human Services:
EHSD will be putting all updates on their website regarding COVID-19.
Foster & Adoptive Parents (March 16, 2020): All Resource Family Approval Orientations canceled until further notice.
The Contra Costa County Area Agency on Aging remains operational during the shelter in place order. They are working to meet the needs of senior citizens and connect them with services during this time. See AAA Website
The Contra Costa County Community Services Bureau, part of the Employment & Human Services Department (EHSD), has temporarily closed its childcare centers effective Tuesday, March 17, 2020 through Tuesday, April 7, 2020. CSB plans to re-open on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, pending guidance from the local Health Department, Contra Costa County, Office of Head Start and California Department of Education.
EHSD Public Lobbies Closed Due to COVID-19
The restricted access affects the following locations:
400 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill
4545 Delta Fair Blvd., Antioch
3105 Willow Pass Road, Bay Point
151 Sand Creek Road, Brentwood
1305 Macdonald Avenue, Richmond
1535 Fred Jackson Way, Richmond
151 Linus Pauling, Hercules
Health Housing & Homeless Services:
The Contra Costa County Health Housing & Homeless Services department remains operational during the COVID-19 shelter in place order. For frequently asked questions regarding how the department is responding to COVID-19 and providing services during the shelter in-place order, please click here for more information.
Public Defender:
The office of the public defender will remain open during the Shelter In Place Order and court closure. Contra Costa Public Defenders understand that this abrupt court closure will cause confusion and hardship for our clients and their loved ones. For a list of Public Defender FAQs, please click here.