By Mark Phillips, Central Coast Chapter Board Member

The United States is facing a “silver tsunami” as the Baby Boom generation leaves the workforce and begins to enter old age. Based in the heart of California’s Salinas Valley, the nonprofit Alliance on Aging is dedicated to supporting this population in a region that has often been underserved. The American Red Cross, through its Community Adaptation Program (CAP), is proud to support this vital organization with the donation of a Chevrolet BrightDrop electric van that will allow the organization to support vulnerable people during a disaster.

Founded in 1970, Alliance on Aging has spent the last half century helping Monterey County seniors remain safely in their own homes for as long as possible, providing tax counseling, Medicare counseling, transportation assistance, and more. Teaming up with Alliance on Aging is a natural fit for the Red Cross, because they are both concerned about the unique challenges that face people with disabilities and the elderly in evacuating or accessing aid after a disaster.

“This partnership ensures greater resilience and sustainability, allowing us to adapt quickly and effectively when community members face an emergency,” explains Michael Donohue (MJ), executive director of Alliance on Aging.

Recently, the Red Cross CAP team visited My Chevrolet in Salinas, which is handling the transfer of the donated vehicle, to see the finished product. The van has been wrapped and now features Alliance on Aging graphics, functioning as a mobile advertisement for the organization. 

“We were very lucky with My Chevrolet,” says Gabriela Perez Albarracin, CAP program manager for Monterey County. “There is all sorts of paperwork [involved in a donation] – but one of the employees here, Project Manager Christian Bathke, was excited to help us once he learned the vans were going to be helping the Salinas community. He was totally vital in getting this completed.” 

“I was born and raised here in Salinas, and these are groups that I grew up with, grew up seeing in the community,” explains Christian. “The donation was an undertaking. We all had to lean on each other and work as a team to get this done. It’s nice to give back to these groups, it’s just been a wonderful experience.” 

The Red Cross and GM have been working together on disaster preparedness for years, with GM joining the Annual Disaster Giving Program in 2010. In addition to the van donated by the Red Cross to Alliance on Aging, GM has donated 59 vans to non-profits around the country to assist the mission of local CAP organizations. 

The donated van will significantly enhance Alliance on Aging’s day-to-day services by enabling staff to reach vulnerable pockets of immobile seniors who may have difficulty accessing support. With this added mobility, staffers can deliver essential services, share educational materials, and connect individuals to critical resources. This donation also strengthens the organization’s disaster response capabilities. Through CAP, the Red Cross aims to boost the capacity, capability, and continuity of nonprofits like Alliance on Aging, key pillars of resilience in Salinas, so they can continue providing vital support during emergencies and beyond.