Happy Valentine’s Month! I’m writing this update from my home today, where I am recovering from a
bout with COVID-19. I am pleased to say that I’m doing well. I am grateful that I was fully vaccinated,
including my booster, which resulted in a relatively minor case. My husband and I are both consistent
mask wearers and avoid large groups of people, but the virus still snuck in!
My personal experience with the virus has brought to mind a few thoughts. First, I want to mention how thankful I was
that my husband & I were prepared for illness; we had healthy food, drinks, and plenty of cold and fever-relieving
medication already on hand. Being prepared certainly made my sick time much more manageable and less stressful,
and I encourage everyone to be ready, just in case.
I also want to emphasize our agency’s commitment to doing whatever we can to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Since the onset of the pandemic, our parent company, Senior Life Resources (SLR), has worked hard to procure
enough face masks, sanitizer, and other PPE to ensure that our staff, volunteers, and clients are well supplied. SLR has
never flagged in their commitment to keep our work environment as safe as possible on behalf of our wonderful
clients, volunteers, and staff.
Serving a vulnerable senior population definitely increases the criticality of our continued diligence and persistence in
following safe protocols. We rely on the advice of Center for Disease Control, Washington State Department of Health,
and our dedicated local team at the Benton Franklin Health District. We work hard to follow the most current recommendations from these scientists and doctors in hopes of providing safe food served in a safe manner.
Each month, we ask our clients to please wear a mask during deliveries or meal pick-up. Wearing a mask during those
brief interactions not only protects our clients, but also the wonderful volunteers who donate their time to serve their
senior neighbors. I’m sorry to say that the extremely contagious Omicron variant is prolific in our community, and it’s
starting to reach some of our volunteers and clients. For everyone’s safety, I implore all clients to PLEASE honor our
volunteers (& their families!) by wearing a mask when the volunteer drivers provide home delivery or serve food at our
drive-thru or take-out sites.
We are grateful that our volunteers and staff have continued to serve our community through the pandemic, and we’ll
continue to work hard to protect their health.
