It has been over a month since I've sent an update on our programs. We have gotten into a rhythm with our new operations, and throughout May and June have expanded offerings, providing more food to more people at this time of economic challenge unprecedented in recent history. We are providing: 

• More food for families: All families of school age children now receive extra kid-friendly groceries (12-13 meals worth) when they come shop.  
• More fresh fruits and vegetables: Families were asking for more produce, so we have increased the variety and quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables by roughly 50%. 
• Grocery delivery & curbside pick up:  In addition to our low-contact onsite food pantry pick up, we now offer order-ahead no-contact curbside pick up and delivery. The delivery program has grown rapidly, from ~80 seniors pre-COVID, to 276 people of all ages in April, to 554 people in May. We will deliver groceries to more than 700 people in June, and plan to deliver to 1,000+ people per month over the summer. 
• Lunch to twice as many people: We are now serving more than 200 lunches each day, more than twice our pre-COVID numbers. 
• Food Pantry Outreach: We recently completed outreach calls and sent a letter to 1,300 regular Food Pantry shoppers who hadn't been here since March. We were able to answer questions, address safety concerns, and sign families up for delivery or curbside pick up. Many shoppers reached have returned, indicating they were in need of food but had been nervous or unable to come to the Center.  
• Face masks: We continue to provide cloth face masks to pantry shoppers and folks who come for lunch and produce outside. To date, we have collected 2,548 face masks, and purchased materials for 1,200 no-sew DIY mask kits. We have distributed well over 3,000 masks to community members. And, yes, we are still collecting them!

It is only  because of the incredible generosity of our whole community that we are where we are right now - your gift of time, funds, partnerships, amazing creativity has made this possible.  As virus-related restrictions are relaxed, the economic impact of this crisis persists.  We have a bold and actionable plan to address rising food insecurity. With your support, over the summer we will:

If you can give, please do.  We need your help to give out more food, provide more fruits and vegetables, and deliver to people who can't get here. Your contribution to the  COVID-19 Hunger Response Fund will ensure that all of our neighbors have the food they need through this devastating crisis. And right now, we have another wonderful match opportunity. Thanks to a generous donor  your gift this week will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $5,000.