Rogers and Rosewater

Over the last 3 years, Rogers and Rosewater have given over 32,500 meals to hungry folks living in the streets of Oakland. 

Rogers and Rosewater is a West Oakland-based volunteer organization that gives free meals to Oakland’s unhoused communities every Wednesday evening. 

Bopha Ul started by giving out 30 hot soups to the local encampment down the street from her home. In her own words, Bopha said she realized that “it's not too expensive to be helping others.” Her outreach grew over time and in December 2018, Bopha founded Rogers and Rosewater when she noticed that other organizations were only giving meals on the weekends. “I noticed a lull in the middle of the week, so we decided to do Wednesday's,” said Bopha. Now, Bopha and volunteers give out around 1000 meals per month.

Partnering with other mutual aid organizations like Punks with Lunch and Love Bite Bakers, Rogers and Rosewater supply more than a dozen unhoused communities with meals weekly. R&R is driven by dedicated volunteers who buy groceries, prep and bag the ready-to-eat meals, and deliver them all over North and West Oakland. Every meal is the same: a sandwich, homemade cookie, fruit, a snack bar, and a beverage. When there are enough volunteers, proper hygiene kits are included too. But like clockwork every Wednesday, over 250 meals are made and spread throughout the community. 

Rogers and Rosewater got its namesake from the classic TV show, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood,  and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, a novel by American author Kurt Vonnegut. In both the TV show and novel, kindness, generosity, and a sense of community are the essential ingredients for happiness. Those virtues were not short in supply at headquarters. Rogers and Rosewater is funded primarily by Bopha herself with the support of her volunteers. As one of their Instagram captions says, “We run on kindness, credit cards, and lots of heart.” 

For Bopha and her volunteers, the only motivation to help give back to others is kindness. For the drivers, who follow the same routes and deliver the same meals to the same communities, a natural relationship forms. “You know the routes, you meet these people and know their needs. If they have pets, who lives where, who lives in that RV, or if they have allergies,” said Bopha. 

I saw this firsthand while riding along the delivery route and helping deliver meals. At every stop along the delivery route, people recognized the car and its driver. Word of mouth spread quickly and soon dozens of people were coming to say hello to a friend. With each meal handed out, nearly everyone replied the same, “Thank you so much. God bless you for everything you do.”

For volunteers of Rogers and Rosewater, it's all about giving back to the communities in need. Fueled by dedication and donations, Rogers and Rosewater exist so that the houseless in need don’t have to sleep hungry. To get involved with volunteering efforts, contact Rogers and Rosewater on Instagram or donate to their ongoing GoFundMe campaign to support their continued outreach.