BEAM will supply pre-selected food

The Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry is making changes to its food pantry to reduce the impact of COVID-19 without interrupting services. This week, Executive Director Lori Richards said the non-profit organization will no longer allow clients to select food items from the food pantry and instead will provide pre-selected food based on family size.
“Our service delivery for our two food pantries – the one in Jacksonville Beach and the one in Mayport – has been for the past several years client choice. The client gets to come in and they get a grocery cart and they shop, go down the aisles just like they would at any other grocery store and are able to choose the items that they take. However, starting today, we have suspended client choice and we are doing what we did for years before that which is providing a bag of groceries based on your family size and just handing you the groceries at the door.”
According to Richards, the change is designed to limit contact between people and help maintain the food in a sterile storage environment. The change also requires volunteers to gather additional information when scheduling an appointment for the food pantry.
“When people call to make an appointment for our food pantry, we’re asking a few additional questions. Normally we would just make the appointment but now are volunteers are asking do you have any allergies, do you have any religious dietary restrictions, that sort of thing. That information is given to the pantry volunteers and based on the family size, how many adults and how many children and based on our normal nutritional guidelines for how much food a family should get at any pantry visit, we’re shopping for them. Of course, it’s based on what we have on the shelves which changes on a regular basis as well.”
Richards said limiting client access to the building and the grocery cart itself provides a buffer for social distancing.
“We’re just letting everyone have a little more space in between them,” she said.
BEAM is currently in conversation with the food partners for the mobile pantry delivery which delivers to Pablo Hamlet and Pablo Towers in Jacksonville Beach. It also delivers food to Finnegan Elementary School and Mayport Elementary school.
Typically, food is set up in a large community room so families can go from table to table and “self-select,” said Richards.
“Again, in order to limit that, we’re negotiating how we can bring pre-packaged food that we can just hand people. We’re disappointed that we can’t offer client choice but the safest way to make sure that we still provide an adequate amount of food is to have it prepackaged and limit that exchange as much as possible.”
BEAM said offering a virtual food drive for financial donations can help replenish the pantry’s inventory as the supply of surplus items from grocery retailers dwindles.
“We are already experiencing a decline in our food donations. We pick up the majority of the food that we redistribute from grocery retailers. They don’t have an excess of food to provide us right now. We normally have a couple of community food drives that have had to be postponed so we are doing some contingency planning. What if our supplies run low?” asked Richards.
“At this point, we’re asking the community to support us through a virtual food drive which is basically providing us the financial resources in case we have to purchase food,” Richards said.
She said BEAM still welcomes donations of food that can be taken to the food bank behind the 7th North Thrift Store. But again, in order to limit how many hands are touching things right now, a virtual food drive is preferred.
Thinking ahead, Richards said BEAM is eyeing the possibility of delivering groceries to vulnerable seniors. Staff is working to identify eligible clients and those of partners of Dial A Ride and Community Kitchen to ensure they receive the help they need.
“What is people can’t get to our pantry or what if they don’t live someplace where we have a mobile pantry? How are we going to provide those services? We’re working those details out but that’s still a few days away and I don’t think home delivery is needed right now but we anticipate that it will be so we want to be prepared for that,” said Richards.
“It’s challenging for all of us. We’re trying to respond to the change in our environment today while we’re also trying to figure out what might come next. Our supporters and donors and those who volunteer with us are also facing their own challenges and stressors. It’s a tough time but we know that the beaches have a history of being a very compassionate, caring community and we’ll figure it out. Just know that we’re figuring it out on a daily basis.”