As of March 11, 2020, we will continue to provide services to our Los Angeles community in a modified manner.
Please help support St. Francis Center and our immediate needs services that are critical to maintaining the health and hygiene of our most vulnerable guests by making a donation today at www.sfcla.org.
We are, however, modifying both our Breakfast and Pantry Programs to help limit guest, volunteer, and staff exposure.
Please read on for more information about program modifications.
Breakfast Program:
We are still offering a hot meal for breakfast (soup, cookies, bread, sack lunch, coffee, and water), but have modified the front room layout. Table seating is suspended for now. Instead, we have a to-go set up with the long rectangular tables set up front. Volunteers will help pour coffee and set up breakfast trays that a staff member will serve to our guests outside.
Things to note:
- We will be informing all volunteers of our standard health protocol (wearing gloves and changing them if needed, applying hand sanitizer and washing hands frequently)
- With the modified format, we have all of the proper preventative measures in place to protect our volunteers, staff, and guests and will provide detailed instructions regarding all modifications before the program starts
- Because we have modified the program operation to a “to-go” format, we do not require as many volunteers to operate.
- Guests will be served outside the Center one at a time, making sure to keep six feet between themselves, other guests, staff and volunteers.
- Limited volunteers will be stationed behind to-go tables to distribute each prepared food item (guests will not be handling any items themselves, including coffee creamer and sugar)
Pantry Program:
Moving forward, during our weekday and Saturday pantry programs, we will be initiating a pre-bag model of distribution for groceries. Volunteers will pre-bag the groceries and staff will hand off the bags to our guests.
- We will be informing all volunteers of our standard health protocol (wearing gloves and changing them if needed, applying hand sanitizer and washing hands frequently)
- With the modified format, we have all of the proper preventative measures in place to protect our volunteers, staff, and guests and will provide detailed instructions regarding all modifications before the program starts
- Because we have modified the program operation to a pre-bag model of distribution or modified clients’ choice model of distribution limiting the number of guests coming through the line, we do not require as many volunteers to operate.
- Guests will be served outside the Center one at a time, making sure to keep six feet between themselves, other guests, staff and volunteers.
- Guests who have a car can receive their groceries through our drive-thru pantry program (located at the back of SFC on Pembroke Lane).
You can find more info about our COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Preparedness Plan at the link here.
