Community Rallies in the Wake of Vandalism at SOSMOW Headquarters

We want to thank the many members of our community who stepped forward to help in the wake of troubling crimes that rocked our organization last November.

The target of these crimes was our vehicle fleet. In an effort to siphon gas from the tanks of numerous vehicles, offenders badly damaged our trucks. This caused thousands of dollars in damage and down time for our trucks just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

This was the third such incident that SOS Meals on Wheels has experienced in the past year and the seventh we’ve experienced since 2021. Repairing fuel tanks that were damaged by gas siphoning, replacing stolen catalytic converters and repairing battery and engine control modules yielded $19,455 in unplanned expenses in 2024 alone.

This rash of vandalism, which has taken place at our San Leandro headquarters, has been difficult to curtail. Inconsistent neighborhood policing, as well as challenges locating an affordable alternative location to store our trucks overnight, have impeded our ability to secure our fleet. The cost of these incidents is not merely financial. When our fleet vehicles go out of commission, it hinders our ability to deliver meals. For our many clients who rely on SOS Meals on Wheels as a primary source of access to nutrition, this creates significant hardship.

We thank our staff and volunteers, who improvised brilliantly during this difficult time. They ensured that not a single client missed a meal. We also thank the dozens of donors who wrote in letting us know they had seen us on the news and requested that their gifts be put toward remediation.