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The novel coronavirus pandemic is creating additional difficulties for food pantries in the community.
Keeping enough food on hand for the hungry was challenging before the outbreak. But, since it set in, supplies have shrunk, local pantry operators said.
"I try not to think about that," said Brian Vogeler, director of The Salvation Army Center of Hope in Jefferson City. "We try to keep a month's worth of food in stock."
But donations from grocery stores have dramatically decreased.
Vogeler said he attended training at the Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri last week. The Food Bank provides much of the food offered at area nonprofit organizations.
He said the Food Bank will continue doing what it does.
"They have what they have," Vogeler said. "You get what you get. They are going to have a certain number of items."
Situations are changing rapidly, said Seth Wolfmeyer, communications and marketing coordinator for the Food Bank. The Food Bank is limited by what is donated to it, he said.
At a time like this, things get tighter," he said. "Cleaning supplies get harder to find; we run short of food like other stores."
But that hasn't happened yet, he said.
Administrators of the Food Bank anticipate demand for their products will increase as students stay home from schools and as layoffs occur, he said.
"We've had a lot of changes with our partner agencies," Wolfmeyer said. "We give food pantries and schools food that they can distribute. Our partners are the ones that get it in the hands of people."
The Food Bank continues to deliver food to sites, like senior centers, although area centers are closed to visitors. The centers have volunteers who deliver hot meals to home-bound seniors.
But partners are also challenged by the need to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
"We're changing some things, and partner agencies are adapting. A lot of food pantries are finding ways to adapt, such as doing a drive-thru method or curbside deliver," Wolfmeyer said. "Mobile pantries are continuing as normal."
A number of people have contacted the food pantry to see if it is continuing the mobile pantries, he said.
It is - on the same schedule that it has offered the pantries before - but with some changes to improve social distancing and safety.
"Those mobile pantries are a big part of our work," Wolfmeyer said.
The mobile pantries are keeping disinfectant wipes on hand, so they can sanitize surfaces to keep them as clean as possible. They are asking people not to line up before food is handed out - to stay in their vehicles to prevent too many interactions.
Much like it did after the May 2019 tornado that struck Jefferson City, Building Community Bridges is offering free meals - primarily intended for children and seniors, according to Alicia Edwards, the nonprofit's executive director.
"We started Monday evening, calling our network of friends to get donations," Edwards said. "That's how this is working so far - is by donations."
The nonprofit is preparing sack lunches and from noon-2 p.m., setting them on a table outside its location, 213 E. Ashley St., she said.
The organization would appreciate donations of lunch meats, cheese and bread, Edwards said. To donate, call 573-616-2845.
The Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City is also offering free carryout dinners from 4:30-6 p.m. Monday through Friday through April 3.
In addition to the Food Bank, some nonprofits, like The Salvation Army, also rely on donations of produce, breads and milk from local grocers, Vogeler said. But food that once neared expiration on store shelves is being snatched up by concerned shoppers, he added.
In addition to acting as a pantry, the center serves meals to residents and to anyone who walks in off the street.
Oftentimes, the center gets its breads from grocery stores, Vogeler said.
"I've noticed our bread's been a little thin lately," he said. "It's thin everywhere."
Milk - the center has some, but not enough to last. It generally uses about 10 gallons a week.
"We're going to run out. And then it's going to be trying to find a place to get those," Vogeler said.
The Salvation Army, as with other organizations, is trying to do what it can to prevent the spread of the virus, he continued.
For its food pantry, which is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Center of Hope is asking people to call a day ahead and make an appointment, Vogeler said. That way, volunteers can control how many people are in the pantry at one time.
The organization feeds people it is housing, but also feeds anyone who needs a free hot meal.
Nationally, the nonprofit was asked to shut down its Cold Cots program (which allows extra people to stay in the shelter when nights are extremely cold) and its showers for people who aren't staying in the shelter.
The shelter is limiting visits - people who enter really have to have a reason for being there, Vogeler said.
"Instead of having everybody in the lunchroom, we have the residents (eat there)," he said. "We're serving 'to-go' meals for the community."
Those meals are placed on a table outside the building and clients stop by and pick them up.
Providing food to the public at the Samaritan Center is an "organic, moving situation," according to Ben DeFeo, the center's operations manager.
"We know there are a lot of variables outside our control right now," DeFeo said.
The organization's biggest concern is it is made up mostly of volunteers - older, retired volunteers.
The elderly and people with underlying conditions are at the highest risk of death from COVID-19.
"We are not completely out of volunteers," DeFeo said. "We are letting them make their own decisions on whether they come in or not."
But, the number has been declining, because many of the volunteers, although they are healthy, may have someone with underlying conditions at home.
The Catholic Church has sent out requests for younger parishioners to step up and volunteer at places like the Samaritan Center, DeFeo said.
"We're trying to address things as best we can," he said. "That's a need we are going to have - boots on the ground, so to speak."
Staff at the nonprofit have been encouraging volunteers to be smart about decisions, he said.
"We have ramped up, and ramped up, and ramped up," he said. "We are limiting the amount of clients coming into the lobby."
For its food pantry, the Samaritan Center makes most of its clients wait outside, while it calls in two or three at a time. Once the clients fill out what products they need, a volunteer fills their order and brings it outside to them.
"We are going to do pre-packaged boxes," DeFeo said. "That's to minimize the workforce."
But it will also help eliminate the need to interact directly with people, and help prevent the further spread of COVID-19, he said. Volunteers are to begin filling boxes this week.
"We'll have boxes together for two people. And, we'll just do the math and expand it out," DeFeo said. "We're looking at the logistics of doing that process."
The biggest concern right now is for the volunteers, he said.
Bigger problems are coming, he warned.
"I was here for the banking crisis - the flip-flop for the decrease in donations coming in and the need for services," DeFeo said. "It was difficult for all of us."
During the housing crisis, people knew the government would bail them out.
"We had to make survival-type decisions," he said. "That was a big crisis. I think this is going to be exponentially larger. This isn't something you can throw money at."
Jefferson City food pantry sites
This is not a comprehensive list.
The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri lists these locations and times for food pantries it serves in Jefferson City:
Building Community Bridges, 213 E. Ashley St., provides a pantry from 10 a.m.-noon and 6-8 p.m. the first and third Thursday of each month.
First Christian Church, 327 E. Capitol Ave., provides a pantry from noon-4 p.m. Tuesdays.
The Salvation Army Center of Hope, 927 Jefferson St., 9-11:50 a.m. and 1-1:50 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays, by appointment only during response to COVID-19. Call 573-635-1975 for an appointment.
Samaritan Center, 1310 E. McCarty St., will be closed this week for scheduled maintenance. Normal hours will resume next Monday. Hours are 9:30-11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 4-6 p.m. Thursday.
The Food Bank also provides a mobile pantry at these locations:
Little Explorers Discovery Center, 1002 Myrtle Ave., 10 a.m.-noon the first Saturday of each month.
Firley YMCA, 525 Ellis Blvd., 3:30-5:30 p.m., the second Thursday of each month.
Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City, 1105 Lafayette St., 4-6 p.m., the third Wednesday of each month.
Capital City Christian Church, 1315 Fairgrounds Road, 9-11 a.m., the third Saturday of each month.
St. Martin Catholic Church, 7148 St. Martins Blvd., St. Martins, 4-6 p.m., the fourth Wednesday of each month.
The Pantry JC, 2123 Missouri Blvd., offers preparable meals from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. the fourth Saturday of each month.
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