Thank you for covering the efforts of the many organizations working together in the CID to care for our residents.
After reading the article, “How Chinatown International District organizations are caring for seniors amid coronavirus”, published on April 14,2020, I’m writing to discuss the brief mention of SCIDpda’s response to COVID-19:
“Community organizations in the CID are working together to try and keep seniors safe, socially engaged, fed, and in good spirits. The Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) is compiling lists of what residents need and passing it along to InterIm.”
The statement “passing [lists] along to InterIm,” inaccurately portrays the scope and diminishes the impact of my colleagues’ work. SCIDpda has done much more than pass on a list. I am reaching out because — as a resident and employee within the neighborhood — I have witnessed firsthand the efforts and immediate response of my colleagues to provide for the people who live here.
In addition to supporting organizations like InterIm, SCIDpda staff are actively working to protect the health and welfare of our residents. We are performing regular wellness checks with tenants living in our buildings. We are also coordinating staff and CID Coalition volunteers to deliver food from ACRS (and other food sources) to the elderly and multi-generational residents of our buildings and others throughout the neighborhood. Information collected is indeed shared with InterIm to help inform their deliveries, but I want to reiterate the efforts of my colleagues at SCIDpda who — since working with ACRS in early March — have tirelessly coordinated, transported, and delivered food to our community members in need. Doing it themselves, and not just passing it along.
Apart from food deliveries, half of SCIDpda’s staff are frontline workers who come into work every day. Our custodial and maintenance workers are regularly sanitizing common areas in our buildings. Our building managers are, in many cases, a vital source of information for our residents, and help bridge the gap between our residents and the recommendations made from our public health institutions. SCIDpda’s frontline staff are essential and are saving lives.
These are just a few ways my colleagues have persisted and pivoted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to see through SCIDpda’s mission to preserve our community in this neighborhood. Ultimately, I am very excited to see our many organizations working together for the health of our community, but I want to ensure the impact of SCIDpda’s indispensable work is not lost in future reporting. Please let me know if you have any questions about SCIDpda’s work.
Thank you again for all the work you do for our community.
Sincerely,
Joseph C. Guanlao
The article “How Chinatown International District organizations are caring for seniors amid coronavirus” has been updated from how it originally ran with comments by Joseph Guanlao to include the work of SCIDpda.
