Newton, NC – The following actions were placed in effect for March 16th – March 31st at The Corner Table Soup Kitchen.

SOUP KITCHEN SERVICE

• Lunch will be served to guests via a to-go-meal from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday-Friday on our back porch.
• Guests will not be allowed in the facility for any reason. This includes restrooms.
• Guests are encouraged not to arrive earlier than 11:15 a.m.
• Guests will not be allowed to congregate.

TO-GO-BAGS
• Friday to-go-bags will be provided as usual. Guests will receive a hot meal to go plus their weekly Friday to-go-bag.

SATURDAY BAG LUNCHES
• Scheduled Saturday bag lunches will remain on the calendar. If a group signed up does not feel comfortable serving in that capacity, then we will cancel the event.

FROZEN MEALS
• The Food Service Manager will be preparing additional frozen meals due to an increase in demand. The goal is to have at least 50 on hand each day.
• Frozen meals will be limited to Two (2) Meals per day, per person.
• Churches who distribute frozen meals will still be allowed to pick up mass quantities as normal.

BACKPACK PROGRAM
• Backpack Program Coordinator arranged volunteers to pack 3,000+ bags of food to be distributed.
• Bags are being distributed based on agreeance with each school system. The following plans are in place for distribution as of now:
o Catawba County Schools: Sixteen feeding sites will be available for students starting Wednesday, March 18th. Backpacks will be delivered to each school before Thursday, March 19th. Backpacks will be distributed to students who come into pick-up Work Packs. Any students who cannot pick up work packs/backpacks on Thursday will have them delivered to their homes on Friday, March 20th.
o Hickory Public Schools: Feeding sites will also be available at Longview and Viewmont starting Tuesday, March 17th. Volunteers are picking up bags on
Thursday, March 19th for all Hickory schools (2-3 per participating family). Bags will be delivered to schools before feeding time from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
o Newton-Conover City Schools: Backpack bags will be delivered to students’ door to door via buses.
• Any families that cannot make it to a feeding site are asked to notify their counselor who in return will notify the Backpack Program Coordinator. Coordinator will make a route for volunteers to deliver to homes on Friday and Saturday.
• See note under Donations and Supplies regarding food stock at the Warehouse.
• Donations will be assessed on March 30th and a new plan will be developed for another distribution using received donations if schools are closed further into the future.

VOLUNTEERS:
• We have reduced our number of volunteers to eight per day at the soup kitchen.
• All volunteers will be screened prior to service at the soup kitchen.
o Screening will include a temperature check before and after their work schedule. We will also ask them the following:
Do you have a dry cough?
Have you had a fever?
Do you have shortness of breath?
Have you been around anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or displayed the symptoms of the virus?
o Individuals with an abnormal temperature above 100 degrees will not be allowed to serve.
• We will be canceling large groups signed-up to serve between March 16th – March 31st at the soup kitchen.
• We will always continue to mandate strict hand-washing requirements and use of gloves for food distribution.
o Volunteers will be required to wash their hands before placing on new gloves as well as taking off gloves.
o Volunteers will be required to wash their hands and change gloves anytime they touch a surface, phone, face, etc.

EMPLOYEES:
• All employees will be screened prior to service at the soup kitchen.
o Screening will include a temperature check before and after their work schedule. We will also ask them the following:
Do you have a dry cough?
Have you had a fever?
Do you have shortness of breath?
Have you been around anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or displayed the symptoms of the virus?
o Individuals with an abnormal temperature above 100 degrees will not be allowed to serve.

• Any employee who has a confirmed positive test for COVID-19 or the Flu will still receive their full pay even though they will not be allowed to return to work until released to do so.

• If the Food Service Manager tests positive for COVID-19 the following tasks will be passed off to another staff, board member or volunteer to complete onsite:
o Purchase supplies
o Create menus
o Prepare meals

• If the Executive Director tests positive for COVID-19 the following tasks will be passed off to another board member to complete onsite:
o Approval of Bills (Treasurer, B/U: Asst. Treasurer)
o Approval of Payroll (Treasurer, B/U: Asst. Treasurer)
o Deposits (Treasurer, B/U: Asst. Treasurer)

• If the Backpack Program Coordinator tests positive for COVID-19 the following tasks will be passed off to another staff, board member or volunteer to complete onsite:
o Work with volunteer groups to assemble bags
o Work with volunteers on picking up bags to be distributed
• The Board and Executive Director will monitor each situation accordingly. If staff tests positive for COVID-19 but are willing and able to work remotely on other tasks than listed above that will be allowed, but not required.

CLEANING:
• We have implemented a more frequent cleaning schedule for our soup kitchen facility with focus on door handles, light switches, floors, tables, chairs, and horizontal surfaces both inside and outside.
• Hand-sanitizer will be available throughout the facility.
• Hand-washing stations will remain stocked for staff and volunteers.
• If a volunteer or staff who recently worked in the kitchen tests positive for COVID-19 our Board will make the decision of if we should close for 1-2 days to have our facility professionally cleaned.

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS:
• The Feed The Flock Gala meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 19th has been canceled. Committee members will receive an email.
• The Volunteer Appreciation meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 26th has been canceled. Committee members will receive an email.
• The Health Fair scheduled for Thursday, March 26th has been postponed. The new tentative date is scheduled for Thursday, June 18th. Health Fair Coordinator will be reaching out to participants this week to notify them of the change.
• The Board Retreat scheduled for Friday, March 27th has been postponed. A new date has not been decided.
• The Standup to Hunger Comedy event scheduled for Wednesday, April 1st has been postponed. The new date has not been finalized.
• The Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon scheduled for Saturday, April 25th has been postponed. The new date has not been finalized.

DONATIONS AND SUPPLIES:
• We are requesting monetary donations to help restock the Backpack Warehouse. Donations can be made at www.thecornertable.org/donate. Donors should earmark their donation for the Backpack Program. The bags that were packed encompassed our entire food stock at the warehouse and our next delivery of food is not scheduled until April 9th. Therefore, there will not be any more backpack distributions until the stock is replenished.
o Donors interested in purchasing food supplies for the Backpack Warehouse should contact Backpack Program Coordinator at 828-464-0355.

• We are requesting monetary donations to assist with the purchase of paper products, food supplies, cleaning supplies, etc. at the soup kitchen. Donations can be made at www.thecornertable.org/donate.
o Donors interested in purchasing supplies can use the following list of our current needs:

To-Go-Boxes
Styrofoam Plates
Styrofoam Bowls
Aluminum Foil
16oz Cups
Straws
Napkins
Plasticware
Lysol
Clorox
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
• Donations can be dropped off by calling The Corner Table at 828-464-0355 to schedule a time.

RESPONSE MEETINGS:
• The Board and Staff at The Corner Table are monitoring the outbreak closely. Therefore, weekly response meetings have been scheduled for every Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. until further notice. Board members can attend the meeting in person or via Zoom. A meeting link will be sent out for Zoom prior to each meeting.