Hello Friends,
In light of the many conversations everyone is having around rising COVID rates in Minnesota, we wanted to update you on what Open Arms is doing.
As you may know, Open Arms of Minnesota is considered an essential service, providing medically tailored meals for individuals and their families experiencing life-threatening illnesses. At this time, we will continue to strictly adhere to local, state and CDC guidelines, ensuring we are not only continuing critical services to our clients, but just as importantly – keeping our staff and volunteers safe and healthy.
Our operations and services to clients are dependent on the generosity and involvement of our volunteers, and we will work to ensure the safety of everyone who comes into our building or engages with our services.
We will CONTINUE to:
1. Screen all building visitors for COVID symptoms and exposure at the front door
2. Require face coverings in our building at all times by staff, volunteers and all visitors
3. Require face coverings for volunteers during all aspects of delivery to clients
4. Offer masks to anyone who does not have one
5. Social distance throughout our building
6. Maintain a maximum number of 10 volunteers in the kitchen (half of our normal capacity to ensure social distancing).
7. Place reminder cues on the floor throughout the building for social distancing
8. Clean community, high-touch spaces multiple times throughout the day
9. Utilize contactless check-in for volunteers
10. Run our daily drive-up delivery process, where volunteers pick up client meals outside our building
11. Deliver without physical contact to our clients – Drop, wait and wave delivery, not entering client’s homes but still saying hello from a distance
12. Offer hand sanitizer to all delivery drivers
13. Minimizing the number of staff, volunteers and visitors in our building
14. NEW – add individual social-distancing mats in the kitchen
In light of the growing pandemic numbers, we want to be sure that you all know that we continue to closely monitor guidelines and any changes recommended by our health department or CDC. The health of our clients, volunteers and staff is truly important to us, and we will make every effort to continue to be there for our clients, while keeping everyone at OAM safe and healthy. Feel free to reach out to me – or anyone at Open Arms – with any questions, concerns or ideas!
As always, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything you do – you make our work possible! On behalf of all of our clients, we send you big, virtual Open Arms hugs!
Leah Hébert Welles
Chief Executive Officer
[email protected]
