Seattle to give away 2,000 free ORCA cards to food and grocery workers
The City of Seattle announced Wednesday it would provide 2,000 free ORCA cards to workers in the hardest-hit communities this month as part of the city's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The six-month program is designed to help people get back to work in areas that need it most. With Seattle recently reaching 70% of eligible residents vaccinated — a country-wide high for major cities — city leaders are focused on getting employees back to work safely.
The first wave of the program will be directed toward people in the Little Saigon, Chinatown/International District, Japantown and Pioneer Square area who work grocery or food service jobs.
"Thanks to the heroic efforts of people across our community, Seattle is leading the way as the most vaccinated place in the country, and now, we want to build an equitable and robust recovery post-COVID," Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a news release. "As part of our recovery efforts, it is critical that we empower employees in communities most impacted by COVID-19 to get to back to work affordably and efficiently. Now, thanks to voters in Seattle, the ORCA Recovery Card program is one of many steps we are taking as a city to work towards a just and equitable transportation network and recover from the pandemic."
https://www.seattlepi.com/local/transportation/article/seattle-to-give-away-orca-cards-grocery-workers-16239680.php