Art work by Rodney Bell, St. Mary's Center
Weiss Associates volunteer chefs

Weiss Associates Staff Provide Dinner for Seniors at Oakland Emergency Winter Shelter

April 2018

More than a dozen Weiss staff and their family members gathered recently at St. Mary’s Center emergency winter shelter to provide dinner for its 21 residents.

Once dinner was served and dessert started making the rounds, so did the stories of how these seniors came to live in the shelter. One story is very familiar to Bay Area renters — the building a senior had been living in for 15 years was sold, and she could not find affordable housing at today’s rental rates; other seniors’ challenges were compounded by serious health issues. St. Mary’s Center’s social workers support residents as they search for a home before the winter emergency shelter closes for the season in late April.

This is the second time Weiss staff provided a meal at St. Mary’s Center, and both times senior project geologist Joyce Adams coordinated the effort. When asked what motivates her, she thought about it for a minute and said, “we are grateful for this opportunity to reach out to the community as a team supported by Weiss, and we were especially happy to include the sons and daughters of some of our staff. We hope to do this — or something similar — again soon.”

St. Mary’s Center in Oakland is the only homeless shelter in the Bay Area focused on the needs of seniors over 55.