Inside the guarded gates off Tice Valley Avenue, sits a special senior living community few people on the outside get to experience. It’s a beautifully maintained place with an array of homes, abundant open space, gorgeous views, and rolling green golf courses. It’s also home to 10,000 residents over the age of 55 who are Olympians, CEOs, provosts, and physicians. There are teachers, nurses, and small business owners—some retired and many who remain active in the workforce. My wife and I, an interior designer and a retired podiatrist, moved to Rossmoor in 2011 from Southern California to start a new chapter in a secure, vibrant community.

What I’ve found out since then, that besides being a terrific place to live, there is a true spirit of generosity in Rossmoor. As the number of people in our community losing their income due to COVID-19 increased, more and more turned to Monument Crisis Center in Concord for help.  As the heartbreaking images of hundreds of people lined up around the block were broadcast on Bay Area TV screens, my wife and I reached out to the Rossmoor community to provide help.

The response was almost immediate. Dozens of calls and emails started pouring in from Rossmoor residents anxious to donate food and money. With safety in mind, Marilyn and I began picking up “curbside” donations from residents—bags of food on porches and checks left under mats. Since mid-March, we have filled our SUV with bags of groceries multiple times and donated thousands of dollars to Monument Crisis Center.

News of the generosity spread, and soon I was writing articles for the Rossmoor News and contacting various clubs in the community by email. The donations keep coming in, the generosity has been incomparable. Many Rossmoor residents donated their government stimulus checks to those in greater need.  As more and more people become unemployed, the need for ongoing donations continues.

The bottom line is ALL of us who have the means need to join this effort and help the thousands of families in Contra Costa County who have no way to support themselves at this time. We are the lucky ones if we come out of the pandemic comfortably. There are thousands of people around us who continue to face food challenges. Please join Rossmoor and help provide monetary support and food donations to the Monument Crisis Center.  For details, go to monumentcrisiscenter.org.