As uncertainty around the novel coronavirus abounds, Airdrie Food Bank (AFB) is making adjustments to address both health concerns and an increased demand on its services.
“We are totally committed to being here for our community during this time,” said executive director Lori McRitchie.
The food bank will remain open as long as supplies last, she said, and the organization’s team held a meeting March 16 to look at making adjustments to its practices and programs to respond to the pandemic and ensure the safety of its staff, clients and volunteers.
“The last thing we want is for anyone to get sick because of something that happened at the food bank, so we’re doing anything we can to maintain the standards of care that Alberta Health has set out for us and for our clients,” McRitchie said.
The meeting has led to several changes in how AFB supports the community. Hours have been adjusted, with the food bank open Tuesdays to Fridays. From 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., she said, people will be able to stop by for the “Bread and Extra” program, picking up needed items. For health reasons, the food bank has reorganized its entrance area so that people can self-serve in hopes of limiting contact with the food items, she added.
In the afternoons, hampers will be distributed to clients by appointment. AFB will no longer allow clients to search through and remove items from the hampers, which will now be prepackaged, according to McRitchie. The food bank has also incorporated a system where hampers will be carried to clients’ cars in the parking lot, rather than picked up in the building.
Volunteers are being screened to ensure they have not been travelling and haven’t been sick, she said, and safe food-handling standards are being followed.
“We anticipate that everything we’re doing is a fluid kind of process, and we’re going to make adjustments as we go along,” McRitchie said.
The need for hampers has already spiked, she said, and AFB is booked solid with phones ringing off the hook. Many new clients are turning to the food bank for the first time, she added.
First-time clients will need to call ahead to 403-948-0063 for a hamper, according to McRitchie.
“If you can’t get through, please leave your name and number, because we are calling people back in order of phone calls that are received,” she said.
In order for AFB to continue its operations, McRitchie said, it’s imperative the community continues to show its support. Food can still be donated through drop boxes at local grocery stores, and cash donations will also be needed, she said.
McRitchie added she was “surprised but really delighted” that food recovery from local stores and businesses – which comprises a large amount of the food donated to the food bank – was normal on March 16. However, as food sells out of stores, she anticipates items like bread, produce and dairy will diminish, causing AFB to rely more on community donations.
“If you are going shopping and buying food for yourself, think about someone who might not be able to do that or have the privilege of being able to stock up so they’re feeling secure,” she said.
Despite uncertain times ahead, McRitchie said she’s sure residents of Airdrie will step up and support each other in the days and weeks to come.
“We’re all in this together,” she said. “Airdrie has always proven to be a community that has a huge heart. We need to show it now. We need to care for our neighbours, we need to care for each other. Every small act of kindness makes a huge difference.”
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Ben Sherick, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @BenSherick
