As we all struggle to deal with the novel Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, we want to let you know the measures the Okotoks Foodbank has implemented in order to keep you as safe as we can. Effective March 12, staff, volunteers and clients began to wear gloves for all tasks performed at the Foodbank. Staff at the Foodbank participate in regular cleaning of highly used surfaces (counters, doorknobs, work tables, etc.) throughout the day, on top of the professional cleaning services we receive each week. The advised schedule is to clean surfaces every hour we are in operation.
A big thank you to the community members contemplating food drives to help us during this stressful time. We ask that you conduct a food drive in as people-safe and food-safe manner as possible. Please contact us with any questions you might have around current safety standards.
We have a special request around donations to the Okotoks Foodbank for the foreseeable future. If possible, please bring your donations to us from Monday to Friday, between the times of 10 am – 1 pm, to ensure we have enough staff and/or volunteers to accept the donation. Grocery carts have been placed close to the Foodbank’s entrances, clearly marked with signage indicating donations are to be placed in the carts.
Concerning food distribution to our clients, we regrettably will not be permitting general access to our shelves for the time being. Bags of food will be prepared beforehand and distributed to Help Yourself Shelf clients outside of the front door entrance. The number of bags has been reduced from three to two to help deal with the current demand for food. Clients are also currently being limited to making use of this program twice a week. Clients arriving for the Help Yourself Shelf program are asked to leave a two-metre distance between each other.
For clients receiving a food hamper, the individual will be asked to make their food selections over the phone and wait in their vehicles for the hamper to be brought to them. To make a hamper appointment, calling the office is preferred over a drop-in visit (403-651-6629) or email [email protected]. Please note that clients are now limited to one hamper per month. The Hamper preparation teams have been reduced to three volunteers per shift in order to ensure the two-metre social distancing protocol is followed.
The April and May ‘Many Hands Soup’ sessions have been cancelled. Our team has embraced the new mantra of: Level Head, Clean Hands and Open Heart. It’s who we are and who we know you are, too. If you have questions, or wish to discuss your concerns directly, please call me at 587-585-1753 or email, [email protected].
Kind regards,
Pamela and The Okotoks Foodbank Team