Dear Friends,
We are all navigating a constantly-changing landscape as COVID-19 continues to impact our communities, families and daily lives.
At Meals on Wheels of RI, we remain dedicated to carrying out our mission of delivering complete and nutritious meals along with vital safety checks to homebound Rhode Islanders across the state.
As of today, May 11, 2020, we do not anticipate a disruption to our Home-Delivered Meal Program. We have, however, made some changes to our daily operations as part of the statewide effort to ensure the health and safety of all Rhode Islanders.
Home-Delivered Meal Program
Each weekday, we are delivering meals to nearly 1,200 seniors statewide, with safety protocols in place:
- We are regularly circulating to all team members and volunteers CDC guidelines regarding COVID-19 and providing everyone with the R.I. Department of Health hotline at (401) 222-8022
- Each Meals on Wheels of RI delivery vehicle in our fleet is being santized daily
- Home-Delivered Meal Program drivers and volunteers are practicing social distancing while delivering meals, while still providing a friendly visit to our clients
- Clients who report any cold or flu-like symptoms will have their meals placed in front of their door. In such cases, the delivery driver will ring the client’s bell, then step away at least six feet and wait to see the client pick up the meal.
Capital City Cafe Program
Due to social distancing recommendations, we have suspended operation of the nine dining sites that normally serve seniors in the Providence area. We are coordinating with the dining sites to deliver meals to program participants’ homes.
Increased Meal Delivery
There are several factors resulting in increased inquiries for Meals on Wheels of RI meal delivery.
Our homebound clients often rely on multiple support services to stay healthy in their own homes, and they may not have access to all of those services at this time. We have been able to deliver some COVID-19 response frozen meals to these clients, giving them additional access to complete meals.
Volunteering
We are continuing to recruit additional volunteers to help us continue our mission. We have been humbled by the response we have received and encourage anyone interested in being a #deliveryhero to fill out this
form. A team member will be in touch!
As a team, we continue to closely monitor developments and we will continue to update our clients, partners, stakeholders, donors and community supporters as any new information becomes available.
If you are able to do so, we encourage you to assist in this response effort by
making a donation today to help sustain our vital work as we anticipate an increased need for our services.
On behalf of everyone at Meals on Wheels of RI and especially the seniors we serve, we thank you for your continued partnership in being #Together4Seniors as we continue to carry our mission of helping our seniors to age healthily, safely and happily in their own homes.
With gratitude,
