Monthly Update
June 20, 2024
The June Update
Welcome to June friends of Easy Does It,
The Summer of Outreach is in full swing. We have tabled at countless events so far and have many more planned for the Month. We are also getting remarkably close to our official City Holiday, Easy Does It Day on June 28th! It has been a pleasure connecting with so many Alameda County residents who can use our services to live independently in their own homes. It is also clearly paying off because in June our Transportation Program saw the most demand since its inception. So please be sure to show our Drivers and Dispatchers some love, they have been working incredibly hard. We are also excited to announce our participation in Plastic-Free July and to share multiple Community Resources with you.
Easy Does It Day 2024: Champions of Change
Easy Does It Day is just around the corner! We are one week from our official City Holiday and could not be more excited to spend another afternoon at the North Berkeley Senior Center to celebrate another year of empowering Berkeley Seniors and Persons with Disabilities to live as they choose. In case you missed it, we have announced our Menu and prizes for this year's celebration.
The Menu
This year, Easy Does It Day is catered by Zachary’s Pizza, potentially the Best Pizza in the Bay Area, we will have multiple pies for you to choose from,
- Stuffed BBQ Chicken
- Stuffed Zachary’s Special
- Thin Crust Pepperoni
- Thin Crust Italian Tomato
- Thin Crust Super Veggie
The Entertainment
Once everyone sits down for lunch, David Lehrer and Zoelle, will perform some Folk Music for attendees. We hope you enjoy the tunes while we gear up for this year's Bingo Match.
The Prizes
We are giving back to the community with 4 Prize Baskets this year! We will be playing multiple rounds of Bingo, and the Winner of each round goes home with their very own prize basket. There is too much to list but here are a few highlights:
- Electric Blanket
- Microwaveable Therapy Mittens
- Dodow Sleep Aid Device
- An Electric Coffee Mug Warmer
- And many more!
USOAC’s Annual Convention
Shortly after Juneteenth. We will be tabling at the USOAC’s annual convention. The United Seniors of Oakland and Alameda County work year-round on behalf of Alameda County Seniors to ensure they are getting the services they need to live independently. Their Annual Convention is an opportunity to learn about all the exciting work they’ve been doing in 2024, as well as connect their community with our safety net services.
Learn MoreOur Next Farmers Market Repair Workshop
Easy Does Its Repair Team will once again be available to help you with minor tune-ups and fixes to your power chair or other mobility equipment at the Adeline St Farmers Market. We will be at the Market on July 2nd to offer free tune-ups and connect their guests with our safety net services. Be sure to register on our website to ensure that our Team has time to work on your device. We look forward to seeing you then.
Reserve a RepairAnother Library Repair Workshop
On top of our Repair Workshop at the Farmers Market, we'll also be offering free repairs at the Downtown Berkeley Public Library later on in the month. So if you're unable to make our first event we'll still be able to offer free support for your device.
Reserve a RepairOur Busiest Month Yet
In June, our Transportation saw more call volume than it ever has. Our Dispatchers and Drivers have been working tirelessly around the clock to ensure that Berkeley Seniors and Persons with Disabilities have access to reliable, accessible transportation. We are incredibly grateful for their dedication to their work, and we are sure you are too. So, the next time you book a ride with Easy Does It, please be sure to show our Team some love and support, they have had one of their busiest months yet.
Go Plastic-Free in July
Our reliance on Single-Use Plastics in day-to-day life is not only detrimental to our well-being but that of the environment. Almost all plastics are a byproduct of refining crude oil. They are oftentimes impossible to recycle, or disposed of in a manner that ensures they are never recycled. If you dispose of your bottle outside of the Ecology Center’s service area, you cannot know if it will ever make it to a recycling facility. This is why we encourage you to participate in plastic-free July, made official by the City of Berkeley in 2017, it is a great way to offset your carbon footprint. We will be doing our part by doing away with single-use water bottles and snacks at events for the whole month. We encourage you to bring your own bottle or help yourself to one of our compostable cups. Learn how you can participate by visiting the resource guide put together by our friends at the Ecology Center:
Learn More
Berkeley Rides for Seniors and the Disabled (BRSD)
Berkeley Rides for Seniors & the Disabled (BRSD) assists City of Berkeley seniors and disabled adults with traveling throughout Berkeley and neighboring cities by supplementing their transportation costs with free taxi, accessible wheelchair van and GoGoGrandparent (Uber/Lyft) rides. BRSD is for Berkeley residents age 70 and older or those certified as disabled by East Bay Para-transit of ANY age. For more information and an application, please visit their website or call their offices,
Visit Website
(510) 981-7269
Community Resources
The Home Fire Insurance Crisis Webinar recording is now available.
Did you miss the Berkeley Ready live Insurance Crisis Webinar on Thursday, May 23? The recording is now available on YouTube.
Berkeley Vice Mayor Susan Wengraf assembled a panel of experts to speak on the current state of insurance, including:
- Julia Svetlana, Deputy Commissioner, California Department of Insurance
- Amy Bach, Executive Director of United Policyholders
- Karl D. Susman, Insurance Broker, and Radio Talk Show host
- Colin Arnold, Interim Chief of the Berkeley Fire Department Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Division
As discussed in the webinar, taking steps to protect your home and control the vegetation around your house can make a difference to your insurance policy carrier.
Watch VideoThe Fight to Save Ecology Center’s Market Match is NOT Over!
The Ecology Center’s Market Match Program was among the many proposed cuts to the state budget by Governor Newsom earlier this year. Market Match is a food safety-net program that supports the health of low-income Californians, small farms, and our ecological future while bringing in federal dollars to California. The Ecology Center and a coalition of partner organizations are advocating to reinstate Market Match and the California legislature agreed with them. We thank the Assembly and State Senate budget leaders who included the California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) in their priorities for the budget! But the fight is not over yet. We still need to fight for CNIP to be reinstated in the budget to save Market Match!
Take ActionChristopher & Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Guide
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation recently published the sixth edition of the Paralysis Resource Guide (PRG), a free 392-page book designed to help individuals living with paralysis pursue healthy, fulfilling lives.
The latest edition features a significantly expanded children’s chapter, including new sections on nutrition, bullying, and higher education. Updates to the spinal cord injury chapter provide clear explanations of the latest research and treatment targets to help families better understand the science driving progress. Throughout the book, an array of community profiles captures the diverse experiences of people of all ages living with paralysis; new profiles feature travel blogger Cory Lee, student-athlete Brandon Louie, and author and caregiver Abby Banks.
View Guide