The South Grenville Food Bank intends to remain open to serve community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Executive Director Bonnie Pidgeon Cougler says the food bank will be open unless they are advised not to be. She adds they’re here for the community and clients and people coming into the food bank will now be screened.
“They will be asked if they have a cough or a fever. They’ll also be asked if them or anybody in their families have traveled abroad, and then in those cases (if they have symptoms or have traveled abroad) we will look at an alternative way to feed them, but they won’t be coming into the food bank if they don’t pass that screening.”
Pidgeon Cougler says the other issue is children will be home from school for three weeks, and the food bank is concerned because they would normally have programs like the breakfast program. Pidgeon Cougler says they will now be creating packs for children with sustainable food. She says they want to provide as much fresh as they can right now like apples, oranges, milk and bread.
“So our whole focus is about getting food to all our clients but to make sure that there’s extra food for the children that are going to be home for three weeks and making sure that’s not an extra strain on already I’m sure a very tough situation.”
Pideon Cougler says the volunteers and board of directors have really stepped up to the plate to make sure everybody is safe. She says they are all going to work together to make sure they all get through this.