San Diego Nonprofits Win Electric Vehicles for Seniors

When you're spending thousands of dollars every week just on gas to deliver meals to seniors, something's got to give. Three San Diego nonprofits just got a game-changing solution.

San Diego Gas & Electric and Citizens Energy Corporation awarded brand new electric vehicles to Serving Seniors, Chicano Federation, and Healthy Day Partners on Tuesday. The grants are part of a $14 million program specifically designed to help organizations serving low-income and marginalized communities.

For Serving Seniors, the timing couldn't be better. Melinda Forstey, the organization's president and CEO, said rising gas prices have been eating away at funds that should go to helping people. Their aging fleet wasn't just expensive to fuel but increasingly costly to repair.

"Right now we are spending literally thousands of dollars every week in increased fuel costs alone," Forstey explained. The organization delivers meals across a huge area, from Oceanside all the way to Imperial Beach and La Mesa. That's a lot of driving.

The electric vehicles will transform those costs into savings. Instead of watching money disappear into gas tanks, Serving Seniors can redirect those funds where they belong: health education workshops, art classes, and social activities for the seniors they serve.

Citizens Energy Corporation, founded by former Congressman Joseph Kennedy II and now led by his son Joseph Kennedy III, created the partnership with SDG&E to make this possible. The nonprofit has been working since 1979 to help vulnerable communities.

The Ripple Effect

This grant does double duty for good. Organizations save money that immediately gets reinvested in their communities, while cleaner vehicles reduce pollution in neighborhoods that often bear the heaviest environmental burdens.

Forstey sees the bigger picture clearly. "By transitioning to clean energy vehicles, we're also contributing to healthier communities and a more sustainable future," she said. It's not just about the seniors being served today but the generations who will inherit cleaner air and stronger community programs.

When one electric vehicle can save thousands of dollars weekly, that's money that turns into hot meals, friendship programs, and dignity for people who need it most.