‘Committed to serve’: Agencies take precautions to keep doors open for low-income clients
The routine at Loaves & Fishes took on a few more precautions Saturday morning.
Shelbra Booth, food pantry coordinator for the Hope Covenant location, made sure volunteers wore disposable gloves and wiped down pens between uses with disinfectant.
As closures, cancellations and other disruptions to public life pile up due to COVID-19, organizations providing essential services such as food and utilities for low-income residents are making changes to reduce health risks and ease financial burdens.
Loaves & Fishes, which operates several food pantries locally, added protections against the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Volunteers are now packing meals themselves rather than have clients shop for their items. Booth said the west Charlotte pantry location on Salem Church Road was busier than normal Friday.
“We’re committed to serve,” Booth said.
She recalled one woman who expressed worry about lost wages, because she already used her paid time off and sick leave for surgery.
Older adults and those with existing health conditions are at higher risk for severe complications if they develop COVID-19, health officials have said. Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration discouraged gatherings of more than 100 people, including sporting events, religious services and concerts.
Loaves & Fishes expects to see an influx of new families relying on the service as wages and jobs are cut amid the coronavirus outbreak.
As restaurants and retail shops close, hourly workers may lose wages. After Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced late Friday it would start spring break early, parents must now scramble to find child care, another unexpected expense.
These disruption are inconvenient for many but can be catastrophic for people living paycheck to paycheck, groups say.
Tina Postel, the Loaves & Fishes executive director, emphasized there is no shame in seeking help. If families are sick, they can send a representative to pick up supplies.
“These are unprecedented times, and it is of no fault of their own that people might find themselves in a food-insecurity situation,” Postel said. “We are geared up and ready — we are stocked.”
Friendship Trays, a local affiliate of Meals on Wheels that delivers about 500 meals every weekday to seniors and other home-bound people in Mecklenburg County, is also taking extra precautions for volunteers and clients, said Executive Director Lucy Bush Carter.
“We recognize that there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty around this,” she said. “We’ve been promoting, ‘Stay calm and wash your hands.’”
It’s important to continue the service because meal recipients can’t shop and cook for themselves, she said. Nearly 90% of participants can’t afford to pay the full price of the meals, which are subsidized by donations.
This makes for a uniquely vulnerable population of low-income, elderly and chronically ill residents, she said.
The organization is collecting donations of shelf-stable food items so seniors can stretch their meals a little further if needed. Donations of coolers are also encouraged so meals can be dropped off on doorsteps if face-to-face contact becomes discouraged.
“We really try to give them a day’s worth (of food) to keep all the time in case something happens and we can’t get to them,” she said. They have plans in place for winter storms and hurricanes, she said, but said the current situation is “nothing that any of us have dealt with before.”
Donation information is available on the Friendship Trays website, friendshiptrays.org.
Several other public and private agencies that handle essential services also announced changes in response to the public health event.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles on Thursday announced the city would not disconnect water service for nonpayment and reconnect service for 117 customers. The city said the move ensures residents have access to water for sanitary purposes and alleviates some financial strain.
Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas will not disconnect service for nonpayment in North Carolina, South Carolina and five other states where it operates, officials there announced.
Mecklenburg County’s Department of Social Services is suspending all of its group meal service and will assess people’s needs for meal delivery.
“We realize that these services are important, but we also know that those served in these programs are the most at risk for serious complications,” County Manager Dena Diorio said in a statement. “Safety is our number one concern.”
Those with questions about DSS changes are encouraged to call 704-432-1111.
The Homeless Resource Center is also closed and will shift its feeding program to boxed meals, officials said.
Crisis Assistance Ministry, which provides rent and utility assistance, will implement social distancing precautions and limit the number of people who shop in its free store, the organization announced.
“Now more than ever, people in financial crisis should know that help is available and not be afraid to seek assistance,” CEO Carol Hardison said in a statement.
This work was made possible in part by grant funding from Report for America/GroundTruth Project and the Foundation For The Carolinas.
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 2:21 PM.
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