Dear Friend --

The City of Long Beach has announced it will offer a second free home meal delivery service for older adults in an effort to further assist adults at high risk of COVID-19 and to provide essential economic stimulus to local eateries during the health crisis.

We have already seen the impact of World Central Kitchen and how it’s helped seniors and local restaurants. Today we are announcing the Great Plates program in partnership with Governor Newsom and the State of California

The City has released a request for proposals (RFP) to contract with multiple Long Beach food providers to prepare and package the meals.

This is a great opportunity to support the older adults in our community who are most in need at this time, as well as assist the food service industry which has been severely impacted as a result of the public health crisis.

The Great Plates Delivered Program will provide up to three free nutritious meals delivered daily to qualified adults older than 65 years of age or adults 60-64 who are at high risk of COVID-19, in partnership with local food providers and restaurants.

Restaurants and food providers interested in participating in the program are encouraged to complete the RFP process. Participation preference will be given to businesses that are locally owned and/or locally sourced, prioritize local jobs and worker retention, and provide meals that can be frozen and reheated, as well as meet nutritional standards and other safe food handling procedures in accordance with State guidelines. To participate in the RFP process, interested business owners should visit the Financial Management Purchasing Division webpage.

The RFP period will begin today, May 18 and closes at 11 a.m. this Thursday, May 21. Additional details are provided in the proposal.

The City will select multiple local food providers for participation in the program, in accordance with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) procurement criteria.

The Long Beach version of the program is expected to begin on May 29, 2020, and continue through June 10, the timeframe approved by FEMA. The State of California intends to request an extension of the program into July.

More information on how residents can apply to receive meals will be forthcoming.

For questions related to the RFP, contact [email protected].