Every weekday at 11:30 a.m., a dozen buses roll into the parking lot of the Asian Counseling and Referral Service, a Seattle-based nonprofit, to pick up roughly 450 hot meals and 280 grocery boxes for homebound seniors around King County. The meals, which are prepared in-house, rotate between Asian staples such as curry chicken, seafood congee and fried rice, as well as halal options. Groceries include bok choy, instant noodles and fresh fruits.
When Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced the statewide stay-at-home order in mid-March, the service was planning to distribute free meals at its senior centers in Seattle’s Chinatown, said G. De Castro, the center’s director of aging and adult services. But no one was coming in.
