Particularly since the arrival of COVID-19, our little Meals on Wheels world seems to be perpetually loaded with changes and challenges; we’ve tried to respond to each obstacle as an opportunity for us to improve how we serve our seniors. I can’t even imagine how we could have navigated the past couple years without the ongoing efforts of our dedicated volunteers, our hardworking & adaptable staff, and our supportive clients & community.
Once again, we are facing a change and challenge, but we are absolutely thrilled to announce this change: Effective May 2nd (May 3rd in Connell), all 8 of our senior dining centers will be open for in-person dining! Our dining centers have been closed since mid-March of 2020, so to say that this change is exciting is a huge understatement!
As excited as we are to move forward with in-person dining, we also know that the change will not be effortless or mistake-free. We are hoping that all our diners and their loved ones will extend us a bit of grace and latitude as our team all tries our
best to provide excellent service despite challenges both known and unexpected.
• We have several new-ish Site Managers who, although they’ve never even seen how our dining rooms operate, will now be charged with managing their dining center while still overseeing home deliveries. Although we can provide training, it’s undoubtedly difficult for them to fully imagine exactly how the process goes.
• Like most businesses, we are receiving very few applicants for open staff positions, so we are somewhat short-staffed. Our office team will provide additional hands to support our site staff the first week or so, helping as much as possible while still completing their own work that helps keep people fed.
• Regardless of our safety protocols, we know we have critics on both sides: Some folks view us as overly cautious and others believe we’re opening too soon. We hope that folks of all opinions understand that we’re doing our best to serve at a high level without compromising safety for our diners, volunteers, and staff.
I can say, without reservation, that all our staff and volunteers do their best every day to serve the seniors in our community, and that every one of them is excited for our next steps. Our goal is always to serve high-quality, nutritious food, delivered to table or home with a friendly smile and good intentions. Reopening our dining centers renews our commitment to our mission, to preserve and improve the quality of life at home, with dignity and care.
Wishing everyone a truly wonderful month of May, and I hope to see many of you in our dining centers!
