On Saturday evening, Meals on Wheels Diablo Region had a fire in its Walnut Creek office, suspected to be caused by a faulty light panel.
The fire broke out at around 11:00 pm at 1300 Civic Ave in Walnut Creek where Contra Costa County Firefighters arrived on scene and found smoke in the building.
The offices will remain closed while the organization assesses smoke, water, and other damage, but according to Caitlin Sly, Executive Director, meal deliveries will not be impacted by the fire.
“Since our meals are prepared and packaged at an off-site kitchen, our volunteers will pick up meals at our other pick-up sites around the County. We can ensure that all clients will receive their meals,” said Sly adding that supportive services like Fall Prevention, exercise classes, Friendly Visitors, Care Management, will also continue uninterrupted.
The fire was contained in a second-floor storage room and any structural damage appears minor.
“We are assessing the situation to see when staff will be able to reenter the building,” adds Sly. “During Covid, most of our staff were able to work from home without any disruption to services, in fact, no client ever missed a meal. Our staff and volunteers are resilient.”
MOW Diablo Region is already speaking to other organizations to arrange for temporary office space for its most essential workers. “We are so grateful for the offers to help,” says Sly. “The community recognizes the important service we provide to vulnerable seniors. Without MOW Diablo Region many seniors would go hungry.”
Volunteers were notified of the situation on Sunday and clients should not see any change to their delivery times.
If you have questions about meal delivery, volunteer assignments, or how you can help, please call 925-937-8311 or reach out to us online at [email protected].
