It was 9:30 a.m. on a Friday morning and radiologist Dawn Nwamuo, MD, was volunteering when she could have been resting up for her 4 p.m. to midnight shift later that day at the San Leandro Medical Center.

Dr. Nwamuo was packing grocery bags for home-bound seniors with colleagues at the Service Opportunity for Seniors (SOS) Meals on Wheels kitchen as part of a regionwide volunteer effort at Kaiser Permanente to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

“This is a way of demonstrating to everyone the power of community,” said Dr. Nwamuo. “I could be sleeping right now, but I’m here. I live in this community. It’s important to volunteer because it’s about helping everyone around you, not just yourself.”

Across Northern California, 1,763 physicians and employees volunteered to honor King at schools, shelters, food distribution centers, parks, and resource centers. Volunteers also worked from home creating blankets, newborn onesies, herb garden kits, and stuffed animals for kids.

At the Meals on Wheels in San Leandro, about 30 employees from the southern Alameda County area turned out to pack grocery bags and prepare 2,000 hot breakfast and lunch meals for seniors.

“It’s a real treat when the Kaiser Permanente group comes in to volunteer,” said Kim Olson, director of advocacy for SOS Meals on Wheels. “Today is especially helpful because half of our normal staff is out. We very much depend on volunteers.”

Debra Flores, Kaiser Permanente senior vice president and area manager of the Greater Southern Alameda Area, spent the day with employees at the Meals on Wheels kitchen and production facility.

“Health equity was really important to Dr. King,” said Flores. “Food insecurity is real, and food is medicine. Helping in this way is consistent with the Kaiser Permanente mission, which is to improve the health of the communities we serve. Volunteering also brings happiness and joy to those receiving the benefits and those serving. And there’s longevity benefits associated with this kind of work.”

Juana Gonzalez, chief administration officer in the southern Alameda County area, donned a hair net, an apron, and gloves to work the hot meal assembly line with two of her colleagues.

“I live here in San Leandro, so one of the things I take pride in is how I help serve others in my community and those who need help the most.”

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