Well, hello out there! Are you missing us as much as we are missing you? Know that we are here and working very hard as usual. All sanitized hands were on deck last week; kitchen staff, drivers and office staff prepared and delivered nearly 6,500 meals, in three days, to our Meals-on-Wheels clients throughout Sullivan County.
Every client received a quarantine box of shelf stable food and frozen meals that will provide lunch for 14 days. This was a proactive approach taken to ensure all of our clients in Sullivan County will have food in the event they are quarantined or any member of our staff is quarantined.
The boxes were generously donated anonymously by a local business. Bags for frozen meals were donated by Job Lots in Newport. Meals were delivered by drivers and volunteers. Claremont City Councilor Nicholas Koloski organized a group of volunteers to help package and deliver quarantine boxes to our participants in the Claremont area. Volunteers like Jeff Barrett, from the Ink Factory, rolled in with a van to be loaded up and delivered boxes of food to our clients.
Some of the Newport Senior Center board members helped with food deliveries, made calls to congregate meal clients to inform participants of alternative ways to receive their congregate meal and made calls or visited restaurants to remind them that Sullivan County Nutrition Services (SCNS) would accept unopened food items.
SCNS is proud to announce that in the midst of preparing 6,500 meals, we also developed a new delivery model for our congregate meals program that will allow current participants the opportunity to continue to receive their daily congregate meal.
If you are a current congregate meal participant who has graciously joined us for lunch at the Newport Senior Center or at the Earl Bourdon Center, in Claremont, please call 863-3177 to learn more about how you can still obtain one of our delicious meals.
We are doing our best to keep our staff and clients safe during this time. Drivers are no longer permitted into the homes with meals or permitted to touch surfaces when delivering. Drivers are leaving meals on the door, knocking and stepping six feet back as recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for social distancing. Arrangements are made for clients who are not mobile and unable to get to the door.
Drivers are equipped with sanitary wipes, masks, gloves and Lysol spray. We have very little hand sanitizer available and are using what we have sparingly. This is due to the shortage of supplies given the current situation. We will gladly purchase more hand sanitizer if we can find it and can be allowed to purchase more than one or two bottles at a time. We have 12 drivers out there and volunteers calling all the time to offer assistance with deliveries and it is important that we are able to keep them safe if we want to continue to provide services.
Larry Eaton, president, and staff are routinely cleaning frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, practicing proper hand hygiene, using disinfectant wipes to clean commonly used surfaces and spraying Lysol throughout the building, in addition to regular cleaning routine. Everyone is doing their part to be as safe as possible and we ask that meals-on-wheels participants follow the same procedures that will keep our drivers safe as well.
Together, we will get through this crazy time. We know this is scary for many of you, but know there are resources out there to help you. SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7 crisis counseling and support for people experiencing emotional distress. Counselors are trained in assisting anxious callers. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text “TALKWITHUS” to 66746.
You can also visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.htm (managing stress & anxiety). If you have questions, you can call 2-1-1. If you would like a friendly person to visit with over the phone, call 863-6770 and give your name to Sharon or CJ and they will get your information to set you up with Tele-Pal. If you are having difficulty getting to the store for groceries or other problems, call 863-6770. Sharon and CJ will take your information and see if they can find a volunteer to get things for you.
Be sure to keep us informed of any situation you are experiencing. We may not be able to solve all of the issues, but we do have contacts with people who may be able to help. SCNS and the Newport Senior Center are open and here for you. We will get through this together! Keep smiling and stay safe. As they say on the cruise ship, “Washy, washy!”
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