Coalition of Calgary Organizations Deliver Rice to Seniors in Need
On Easter Monday, April 13, 2020, Calgary Chinese Community Service Association (CCCSA), the Alliance of Calgary Community Ethnic Support Society (ACCESS), and Calgary Chinatown Lions Club jointly delivered an initial 130 rice packages, or approximately 910 kilograms of rice, to vulnerable Chinatown seniors.
Since then, ACCESS and its partners have delivered 190 packages, or approximately 1,330 kilograms of rice, to Chinatown and area seniors, with plans for an additional 770 kilograms of rice and other culturally-appropriate food products — over 2 metric tons of rice in total over the course of the COVID-19 Emergency.
Dr. Josephine Tsang, CCCSA Chief Executive Officer, said, “During these times of social distancing, it has become increasingly difficult because of physical mobility issues for seniors to go to a local grocery store to purchase a bag of rice, which can be quite heavy to bring home.”
Seniors are among the most vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 crisis. The alliance felt that rice packages would allow seniors to limit their risk of exposure to the virus by reducing their need to leave the safety of their homes to purchase basic necessities.
“Our organizations are proud to be working together to do our part to flatten the curve, while continuing to provide comfort and care for some of our most vulnerable Calgarians,” said Dr. Tsang.
According to Dr. Tsang, many Chinese seniors may not have access to, or be comfortable accessing, technologies, and others have language barriers keeping them from using other services. “This is our way of giving back to the community. It’s one small piece of work that we can provide,” she said.
The alliance thanked the staff and volunteers of all three organizations for their support and hard work.
In addition to rice delivery, CCCSA continued to deliver face masks to seniors in need — some donated by a generous Calgary-area dental office. The alliance also sponsors volunteer seniors sewing cloth face masks, distributed to the community free of charge.
