September 15, 2020

Dear Volunteers and Supporters,

We want to give you an update on the progress, discussions, and decisions made in the past week-and-a-half while Heart to Heart has been closed. We have been having very productive and insightful morning discussions with several key volunteers. We are learning a lot about how operations can be improved, what works well, and what everyone enjoys about being here. We have a lot more work to do, and we appreciate your patience as we adjust to the many transitions occurring now and forthcoming.

We plan to reopen next week using the same outdoor drive-thru model we have been using the past few months. Because of this decision, we have canceled the volunteer shifts that remained this week for moving storage between the two buildings. However, if you’re still interested and available to help, please send me an email and I can get you set up on a different small project. We will continue to hold the morning discussions and will add topics for Thursday and Friday. We have also canceled volunteer reorientation on Sunday and will reschedule at a later date.

In the near future, as the weather changes, we are working toward moving our operations to Lincoln Road Chapel.  Our agency rep from Mid-Ohio Food Collective is visiting this week to give us a better idea about how we can operate safely indoors during the pandemic once it gets too cold to be outside.  Once we have a more definite plan, we will share that with you.

The good news is that majority of our stock is already in the basement and changes are being made to other rooms to accommodate our needs for additional storage and space to move about. We are working with our Facilities Director, Pam Jameson, plus professional cleaners, inspectors, electricians, HVAC, plumbers, and builders on improvements that make this environment safe for everyone.

You are welcome to submit feedback and ideas to us, and we will take them all into consideration as we move forward. Please know we are looking into every aspect of Heart to Heart operations as we plan our future. Your experiences as a volunteer are invaluable to us, so please share ideas with us.

Sincerely,

Amy Caskie
Missions Administrator

• Take the online civil rights training course here>>
• Verify you have completed the course using this form>>
• Participate in this Doodle poll for PantryTrak training if you are interested in learning how to use it.
  Volunteer shift leaders on Tuesdays and Thursdays will be required to take this training.
• Let us know if you’re interested in being a volunteer shift leader via email>>
• All shift leaders can take the online food safety training for $15, and send us a PDF of their completion certificate. The course is called Food Handler (level 1) and you will follow the instructions on the ServSafe website to purchase the course.
• Register your Kroger card for Community Rewards which earns money for Heart to Heart when you grocery shop. More info here>>
• Click on the buttons below to sign up for upcoming volunteer shifts or the morning discussions scheduled for the remainder of this week:
  • Wednesday: Financial Assistance and Other Resources
  • Thursday: Volunteer Orientation and Retention
  • Friday: COVID-19 Policies (both Heart to Heart and MOFB)

As suspected, not everyone got the message about our two-week hiatus and we have had clients show up on all of our regular service days. We did our best to serve those who had already made their way here thinking we were open. Additionally, the Pop-Up pantry continues to operate on Wednesdays. Below are the service statistics during the hiatus, so far.

September 8 (Tuesday): 3 households

September 9 (Pop-Up): 35 households

September 10 (Thursday): 11 households

September 15 (Tuesday): 24 households

Thank you to everyone who has joined us for morning discussions in the parking lot. We are so grateful to Melody and Carol for helping with the stock room. Thanks also to Kathleen for helping sort spices!