Meals on Wheels of San Francisco (MOWSF), the nonprofit organization that prepares and delivers millions of nutritious meals to the homes of seniors and people with disabilities in San Francisco and Northern San Mateo Counties, announced today that it will electrify two-thirds of its fleet of meal delivery vehicles by 2027. MOWSF’s current fleet of 32 combustion vehicles cover almost 100,000 miles a year visiting thousands of homebound seniors daily. By transitioning to EV, the organization expects to reduce its carbon footprint by 50% and reduce maintenance and fuel costs by approximately 10%. Amazon is the lead financial sponsor of this program.
“Helping seniors thrive in their homes while keeping the air they breathe clean is a win-win for all,” explained David Linnell, Acting CEO, Meals on Wheels of San Francisco. “When we visit seniors, we improve their health. We can do even more for their health by switching to pollution-free vehicles and at the same time, save money on fuel and reinvest those cost-savings for more meals and visits to our aging population who rely on us daily.”
In 2022, MOWSF worked with CLEAResult, the largest provider of emission-reducing energy solutions across North America, to develop a vehicle electrification five-year plan to replace 24 of the organization’s vehicles with refrigerated Ford eTransit vehicles by 2027. The plan provides a roadmap for EV charging infrastructure needs, total costs for ownership, and projected results, which include decreasing fuel and vehicle costs by thousands of dollars each year, per vehicle. The projected CO2 emission reductions is substantial with full implementation of all 24 vehicles resulting in a reduction of annual CO2 emissions by 226 tons per year (79%) and local criteria air pollutant emissions by 587 pounds per year (83%.).
“Amazon is committed to investing in the health and well-being of the communities where our employees and customers live and work,” says Sally Kay, Regional Head of Public Policy and External Affairs at Amazon. “Meals on Wheels has served San Francisco’s seniors in need for over fifty years, and we are proud to be a part of their mission with this grant to purchase electric vehicles. We look forward to finding more ways the business community in the southeast part of the city can continue to make a real difference for San Franciscans.”
Currently, MOWSF has purchased 4 EVs that can travel approximately 100 miles on one charge, and one dual port-charging station. The organization plans on adding more charging stations in 2023. In addition, MOWSF aims to replace 5 of its current gas-powered vehicles each year for the next four years, pending vehicle availability and funding. By the end of 2024, MOWSF hopes to have 12 Ford eTransit vehicles on the road and by 2027, have 24 EVs on the road.
Meals on Wheels of San Francisco’s transition to EV comes at a time as Governor Gavin Newsom’s groundbreaking state initiative and commitment to achieve 100 percent zero-emission vehicles within the next 12 years, begins to take shape. California’s world-leading plan will require 100 percent of new car sales in California to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
Funders for MOWSF’s EV initiative include Amazon as lead sponsor, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, and industrial developer, Goodman. For more information on how to be a part of Meals on Wheels of San Francisco’s Fleet Electrification Initiative, please contact Jessica Sweedler, 415.343.1283.