AGENDA REPORT
TO: Elizabeth Lake FROM: Greg Elliott
Interim City Administrator Interim Director, Human
Services
SUBJECT: Grant Agreement For Service
Opportunity For Seniors For Meals On
Wheels Food Delivery Program Fiscal
Year 2025-2027
DATE: August 31, 2026
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution:
(1) Awarding A Grant Agreement To Service Opportunity For Seniors (SOS) To Administer The Meals On Wheels Food Delivery Program In An Amount Not To Exceed $150,000 For Fiscal Year 2025-2026 And $150,000 For Fiscal Year 2026-2027; And (2) Authorizing The City Administrator To Negotiate And Enter Into A Grant Agreement With The Grantee For Fiscal Years 2025-2027 With Authority To Extend The Terms Without Increasing The Amount Of The Grant Award
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The proposed resolution will authorize the City Administrator to negotiate and execute a grant agreement between the City of Oakland and Service Opportunity for Seniors (SOS) to provide nutritious meals to homebound seniors through the Meals on Wheels (MOW) program in the amount of $150,000 per fiscal year (FY) 2025-2027 from the General-Purpose Fund.
The approval of this action herein will allow for retroactive authority to pay for services provided during FY 2025-2026 and continued financial support for meal delivery and administration for services rendered during FY 2026-2027.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
On February 17, 2026, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 91061 C.M.S. that included community grants award recipients but mistakenly left off the grant funds designated for SOS.
Elizabeth Lake (Sep 4, 2026 21:07:28 PDT) Sep 4, 2026
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Grant Agreement For Service Opportunity For Seniors For Meals On Wheels Food Delivery Program 2025-2027
Date: August 31, 2026 Page 2
Life Enrichment Committee
September 22, 2026
SOS is a nonprofit organization that has been addressing the issue of senior isolation and promoting nutritional health for over 56 years. SOS administers the Meals on Wheels program whose primary function is to deliver nutritious, balanced meals and friendly safety checks to homebound seniors. MOW assists in the interception of premature institutionalization of isolated seniors by providing social interaction with the program staff and fosters the independence and dignity of homebound seniors in Central Alameda County and the City of Oakland.
Adoption of this resolution will advance a priority of community safety by providing social referral services and quality meals to the most vulnerable Oakland residents.
The Adopted Biennial Budget for FY 2025-2027 appropriated $300,000 ($150,000 per FY) from the General Purpose Fund for a community grant for SOS.
The action requested herein will correct the omission to award SOS grant funding for FY 2025- 2027 if adopted.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The SOS grant is the best course of action at this time as the Meals on Wheels service checks all the boxes in the planning process of food access, distribution and recovery and assistance and education. These components will be identified in the SOS Scope of Work.
The FY 2025-2027 Biennial Budget includes appropriation for the SOS grant agreement in the amounts as noted in Table 1 below:
Table 1: FY 2025-2027 Grantee and Award Amounts
Grantee FY 2025-26
Amount
FY 2026-27 Amount
Service Opportunity for Seniors
Meals on Wheels Program Food Delivery to Seniors $150,000 $150,000 TOTAL $150,000 $150,000 The following summary of staff efforts of consideration of other options was estimated as less appropriate options:
Alternative #1 In-Home Support Meals
Pros More personal and individual attention.
Cons Limited client reach and tends to have a higher service component cost.
Reason for not
recommending Overall limited delivery capacity while demand continues to increase.
Alternative #2 Micro Food Delivery Service
Pros Favorable for a small delivery base.
Cons Small delivery-base, less meal delivery capacity and higher meal cost.
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Grant Agreement For Service Opportunity For Seniors For Meals On Wheels Food Delivery Program 2025-2027
Date: August 31, 2026 Page 3
Life Enrichment Committee
September 22, 2026
Reason for not
recommending Overall limited delivery capacity while demand continues to increase.
RELATED PLANNING EFFORTS
The City of Oakland 2045 General Plan Update (GPU), Environmental Justice (EJ) Element #5, Expanding Healthy Food Access addresses food issues and disparities and goals and policies to combat. The SOS grant will support the GPU by endorsing programing that will direct funds to provide critical administration and meal delivery services to support the nutritional needs of homebound seniors in Oakland citywide.
FISCAL IMPACT
Sufficient General Purpose Fund for this grant agreement is available from the City Council approved FY 2025-2027 Adopted Biennial Budget. The item was considered and approved by City Council with no other foreseen fiscal impact. A breakdown of the appropriated project funding sources is included in Table 2 below:
Table 2: Program Funding Source
Fiscal
Year
Fund Organization Project Program Amount
FY 2025-
26 1010
General
Purpose
Fund
75631 Senior
Center
1003725 Meals
on Wheel
YS14 -
Empowering
Seniors & People
with Disability
$150,000
FY 2026-
27 1010
General
Purpose
Fund
75631 Senior
Center
1003725 Meals
on Wheel
YS14 -
Empowering
Seniors & People
with Disability
$150,000
Total
Funding
$300,000
Costs of funds span two fiscal years, FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27 at $150,000 in each fiscal year. Program funded by the General Purpose Fund and is ongoing. No match is required.
There is no additional fiscal impact.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
No outreach was deemed necessary for this agenda report beyond the standard City Council agenda noticing procedures.
COORDINATION
The City Administrators Office, City Attorneys Office, and Finance & Budget Department have been consulted in the development of this report.
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Grant Agreement For Service Opportunity For Seniors For Meals On Wheels Food Delivery Program 2025-2027
Date: August 31, 2026 Page 4
Life Enrichment Committee
September 22, 2026
PAST PERFORMANCE, EVALUATION and FOLLOW-UP
SOS has been supported by the City of Oakland for a number of years delivering approximately 270,000 meals to Oakland homebound residents each year. . They have continued to meet Scope of Work elements of needs, deliverables and timeliness. Experience and expertise have led to a good track record, industry-specific experience and relevant qualifications. Anytime SOS felt that any milestones would be exceeded or the prediction of potential service challenges arose, SOS communicated with City staff as soon as possible.
Feedback from user reviews was not available for analysis for this report. However, the SOS's vision of ensuring that every senior age with dignity is reinforced by its strategic goals and adaptive measures.
This recommendation has been researched by staff and evidenced by the many years of SOS service to Oakland.
Table 3 below identifies the performance measures and service targets that will be used to monitor SOSs performance:
Table 3: SOS Performance Measures and Annual Service Targets Metric Targeted Outcomes
1. Meal Delivery 265,000 meals delivered each Fiscal
Year
2. Number of Individuals to be Served 1,000 unduplicated individuals served each Fiscal Year
3. Delivery Satisfaction 75% of individuals served rate their meal delivery driver to be good or excellent
4. Health Improvement 80% of individuals served report improved health as a result of participating in the
home-delivered meal program
5. Equity 10% increase in the number of clients served
in East/deep East Oakland.
RACE AND EQUITY
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Grant Agreement For Service Opportunity For Seniors For Meals On Wheels Food Delivery Program 2025-2027
Date: August 31, 2026 Page 5
Life Enrichment Committee
September 22, 2026
Working collaboratively with the Mayors Commission on Aging and the Department of Race and Equity, HSD developed an equity impact statement as a guiding principle of its community strategic planning process to retain Oaklands World Health Organization Age-Friendly designation, which states that, Older adults in Oakland including people facing disparities due to race, age, language, disability, gender, socio-economic status and other inequities feel safe, healthy, included, and connected in the community by having access to the resources and supports they need to age well and live full lives. The SOS Meals on Wheels program supports this goal by providing a critical service to lowincome community members and underserved seniors who have challenges locating resources and accessing affordable food options.
The SOS Meals on Wheels mission is to foster the independence and dignity of older adults by reducing food insecurity and isolation, with daily nutritious meals, friendly visits, and connection to support services.
Eligible populations are 60 years of age or older, are unable to shop for food or prepare meals for themselves and do not receive help from a reliable caregiver. Highest priority is to serve frail seniors who urgently need our assistance.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution:
(1) Awarding A Grant Agreement To Service Opportunity For Seniors (SOS) To Administer The Meals On Wheels Food Delivery Program In An Amount Not To Exceed $150,000 For Fiscal Year 2025-2026 And $150,000 For Fiscal Year 2026-2027; And (2) Authorizing The City Administrator To Negotiate And Enter Into A Grant Agreement With The Grantee For Fiscal Years 2025-2027 With Authority To Extend The Terms Without Increasing The Amount Of The Grant Award
For questions regarding this report, please contact ANA BAGTAS, HUMAN SERVICES MANAGER, at (510) 238-6794.
Respectfully submitted,
GREG ELLIOTT
Interim Director, Human Services
Reviewed by:
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Grant Agreement For Service Opportunity For Seniors For Meals On Wheels Food Delivery Program 2025-2027
Date: August 31, 2026 Page 6
Life Enrichment Committee
September 22, 2026
Ana Bagtas, Human Services Manager
Prepared by:
Hakeim McGee, Senior Services Supervisor
Aging & Adult Service