COVID-19 Updates
June 9, 2020
June 8, 2020
June 4, 2020
June 2, 2020
May 28, 2020
May 26, 2020
May 21, 2020
May 19, 2020
May 14, 2020
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Our next Box Food Distribution will be today from 3:00 to 6:00p.m. Clients who last shopped in our pantry or received a box distribution on or before 7th are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive-thru today.
Because the weather forecast is calling for lots of sun, warm temperatures, and wind gusts of up to 50 mph, we will have ONE distribution lane for clients today. We ask clients to be please be patient this morning, we have plenty of food and will serve as many households as possible between 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. To help check clients in more quickly, we ask that ALL clients bring their photo ID, IDs for each person living in the home, and proof of address. We encourage only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above listed documentation. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) during our Box Distribution hours. 
Loaves & Fishes would like to take a moment to thank our staff. Since March 18th, when we made the decision to switch to a Box Distribution model of serving clients, our staff have worked hard every day (including some weekends) to make sure that we are able to serve our clients with the same high level dignity, respect, and compassion.
Thank you Lydia, Katie, Justin, Melanie, & Kylie for working tirelessly to help further our mission in Northwest Oklahoma. Also, thank you to Angela at Hazel and Haze Photography for taking this awesome photo of our staff on our “front porch.” 
Our next Box Food Distribution will be today 9:00a.m. to 12:00p.m. Clients who last shopped in our pantry or received a box distribution on or before April 30th are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive thru today.
Because the weather forecast is calling for rising temperatures and mostly sun for the rest of the day, we will have ONE distribution lane for clients today. We ask clients to be please be patient this morning, we have plenty of food and will serve as many households as possible between 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. To help check clients in more quickly, we ask that ALL clients bring their photo ID, IDs for each person living in the home, and proof of address. We encourage only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above listed documentation. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) during our Box Distribution hours. 
Our next Box Food Distribution will be today at 3:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped in our pantry or received a box distribution on or before April 30th are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive-thru today.
Because the temperature is rising and the weather is calling for an afternoon full of sun (and no clouds!), we will have ONE distribution lane for clients today. We ask clients to please be patient this afternoon, we have plenty of food and will serve as many households as possible between 3—6 p.m. A few requests to make things run more smoothly for all clients, new & returning: • Please STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE. • Please have your photo ID, proof of address, and IDs/documentation for ALL people living in your home ready when you enter our parking lot. • Please be courteous to our volunteers (they are donating their time to serve you). • NO SMOKING - please put out your cigarettes when you enter our parking lot. • Please have space cleared in your TRUNK or the TRUCK BED before you reach our parking lot. We encourage only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above-listed documentation. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) during our Box Distribution hours. 
Our next Box Distribution is today from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped or received a box distribution on or before April 28th are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive-thru today.
To help check clients in more quickly, we ask that ALL clients bring their photo ID, IDs for each person living in the home, and proof of address. We encourage only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above listed documentation. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) during our Box Distribution hours. 
Our next Box Distribution is today from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped or received a box distribution on or before April 23rd are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive-thru today.
A few requests to make things run more smoothly for all clients, new & returning:
We can only offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) on Tuesdays & Thursdays during box distribution hours. 
Our next Box Food Distribution will be today 9:00a.m. to 12:00p.m. Clients who last shopped in our pantry or received a box distribution on or before April 21st are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive thru today.
Because the weather forecast is calling for cool temperatures and at least a 50% chance of rain for the rest of the day, we will have ONE distribution lane for clients today. We ask clients to be please be patient this morning, we have plenty of food and will serve as many households as possible between 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. To help check clients in more quickly, we ask that ALL clients bring their photo ID, IDs for each person living in the home, and proof of address. We encourage only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above listed documentation. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) during our Box Distribution hours. 
Our next Box Food Distribution will be today at 3:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped in our pantry or received a box distribution on or before April 16 are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive-thru today.
Because the temperature is rising and the weather is calling for an afternoon full of sun (and no clouds!), we will have ONE distribution lane for clients today. We ask clients to please be patient this afternoon, we have plenty of food and will serve as many households as possible between 3—6 p.m. A few requests to make things run more smoothly for all clients, new & returning: • Please STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE. • Please have your photo ID, proof of address, and IDs/documentation for ALL people living in your home ready when you enter our parking lot. • Please be courteous to our volunteers (they are donating their time to serve you). • NO SMOKING - please put out your cigarettes when you enter our parking lot. • Please have space cleared in your TRUNK or the TRUCK BED before you reach our parking lot. We encourage only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above-listed documentation. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) during our Box Distribution hours. 
We are closed this afternoon! Our new box distribution schedule is: Tuesdays from 3:00 p to 6:00 p Thursdays from 9:00 a to 12:00 p We can only offer clients food on Tuesdays and Thursdays during Box Distribution. See you next week! 
Our next Box Distribution is today from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped or received a box distribution on or before April 14th are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive-thru today.
To help check clients in more quickly, we ask that ALL clients bring their photo ID, IDs for each person living in the home, and proof of address. We encourage only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above listed documentation. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) during our Box Distribution hours. 
next Box Food Distribution will be today at 3:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped in our pantry or received a box distribution on or before April 9 are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive thru today.
Because it is currently raining and the weather forecast is calling for cool temperatures and more rain for the rest of the day, we will have ONE distribution lane for clients today. We ask clients to be please be patient this afternoon, we have plenty of food and will serve as many households as possible between 3—6 p.m. A few requests to make things run more smoothly for all clients, new & returning:
We encourage only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above listed documentation. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) during our Box Distribution hours. 
*New Box Distribution Schedule**
Tuesdays: 3pm-6pm Thursdays: 9am-12pm As businesses begin to re-open and the restrictions ease, we wanted to update you on what that looks like at L&F. Due to our inability to maintain proper social distance in our waiting rooms, we’ll continue using our drive-thru model at this time. Our staff and Board will re-evaluate during that time and we will let you all know once we have a plan to re-start our client-choice pantry inside the building. While taking all of that into careful consideration, Loaves & Fishes has decided to change our Thursday drive-thru distribution time to 9am-12pm beginning Thursday May 14th. With the weather warming up, it seems unrealistic and unsafe to have our volunteers, staff and perishable food sitting in the parking lot during the heat of the day. In order to accommodate clients who work, we will continue to have our Tuesday hours be 3pm-6pm, but will move the food and volunteers inside on days when the forecast is calling for heat. Our new box distribution schedule is: Tuesdays: 3pm-6pm Thursdays: 9am-12pm
Our next Box Food Distribution will be today at 3:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped in our pantry or received a box distribution on or before April 5 are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive thru today.
Because it is currently raining and the weather forecast is calling for more of the same, we will have ONE distribution lane for clients today. We ask clients to be please be patient this afternoon, we have plenty of food and will serve as many households as possible between 3—6 p.m. A few requests to make things run more smoothly for all clients, new & returning:
Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) during our Box Distribution hours. 
Our next Box Distribution is today from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped or received a box distribution on or before March 26th are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive-thru today.
A few requests to make things run more smoothly for all clients, new & returning: • Please STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE. • Please have your photo ID, proof of address, and IDs/documentation for ALL people living in your home ready when you enter our parking lot. • Please be courteous to our volunteers (they are donating their time to serve you). • NO SMOKING - please put out your cigarettes when you enter our parking lot. • Please have space cleared in your TRUNK or the TRUCK BED before you reach our parking lot. We encourage only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above listed documentation. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3—6p.m. 
In response to the COVID19 pandemic, on March 18th Loaves & Fishes switched from our Client Choice food pantry model to a Drive-Thru Box Distribution. Some of our regular volunteers have been able to continue donating their time, but many have had to step away for volunteering until the COVID19 pandemic ends. We have been fortunate to have many new volunteers come on board to help us in our efforts to provide grocery assistance to our neighbors in need.
Since March 18th, we have had 127 volunteers donate 1,445 hours to Loaves & Fishes. Volunteers have helped to unload trucks, sort donations, stock our shelves, pack boxes, package dairy, produce, meat, & bread in bags to hand out to clients, and worked outside in our parking lot to distribute the food directly into clients’ vehicles. Our volunteers have helped us to distribute 87,111 pounds of food to our clients in just 7 weeks. We’ve served 1,501 unduplicated households (or 3,277 people) since switching to the Box Distribution model. 29% of those clients were new clients who never received assistance from Loaves & Fishes before. Loaves & Fishes has plenty of food, and boxes. We will continue to distribute food to our client in our drive-thru box distribution model until we feel that is safe to have clients come in to our building to shop for themselves. 
Our next Box Distribution is today from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped or received a box distribution on or before March 26th are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive-thru today.
A few requests to make things run more smoothly for all clients, new & returning:
Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3—6p.m. 
Our next Box Food Distribution will be today at 3:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped in our pantry or received a box distribution on or before March 26 are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive thru today.
Because of the severe weather in this afternoon’s forecast, we will have ONE distribution lane for clients today. ALL clients will enter our parking lot from E Maine Ave, drive up to our front door area, be checked in, pull up to our garage door to have their vehicle loaded with food and then exit our parking area. We ask clients to be please be patient this afternoon, we have plenty of food and will serve as many households as possible between 3—6p.m. We ask that all new & returning clients bring their photo ID, proof of address, and IDs/documentation for ALL people in the home, including children. Loaves & Fishes encourages only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above listed documentation. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3—6p.m 
To all of our warehouse & pantry volunteers who we haven’t seen since the #COVID19 pandemic began, we miss you!
We have received many sweet notes and generous donations, but we just want you to know that we miss your smiling faces! We miss you and can’t wait until we’re back in the pantry together again. Even though we are apart, we still need you! Join our Virtual Volunteer program! You can help us spread the word about fighting hunger and feeding hope from the comfort of your home. Loaves & Fishes would love to have your help to spread the word about fighting hunger and feeding hope during the pandemic and beyond! Become a #VirtualVolunteer and use your network of family, friends and co-workers to connect our mission with new supporters interested in fighting hunger in northwestern Oklahoma. It’s easy. All you have to do is like and share our social media posts to help us reach more people. That’s it. Until we’re back together again, know that we miss you, stay safe and wash your hands. Lots of Love, Lydia, Katie, Justin, Melanie, & Kylie 
Our next Box Distribution is today from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped or received a box distribution on or before March 19th are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive-thru today.
ALL clients will enter our parking lot from E Maine Ave, there are have 2 distribution lanes in our parking lot. After clients are divided into lanes, they will be checked in, then instructed to pull forward to have their vehicle loaded with food and then exit through our “new” parking lot onto E Cherokee or to turn right and exit using the alley onto E. 7th Street. The entire process will take 5 to 7 minutes from check-in to when they are leaving the parking lot. We have plenty of food and will serve as many households as possible between 3—6p.m. We ask that all new & returning clients bring their photo ID, proof of address, and IDs/documentation for ALL people in the home, including children. Loaves & Fishes encourages only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above listed documentation. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3—6p.m.
Our Box Food Distribution will be today from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped at Loaves & Fishes or participated in our boxed food distribution on or before March 19th are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive thru today.
We have LOTS of boxes packed and ready to distribute today. We also have LOTS of fresh produce, milk & dairy items, meat, and bread. There is ABSOLUTELY NO benefit to lining up early and waiting in line for several hours to be the first in line to receive food. Between 3:00 & 6:00 p.m., all clients will get the same foods today, regardless of what time they arrive at our location. New and returning clients MUST have their photo IDs. New clients also need to bring IDs for each person living in the home with them. 
Our Box Food Distribution will be today from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped at Loaves & Fishes on or before March 16th are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive thru today.
We have LOTS of boxes packed and ready to distribute today. We also have LOTS of fresh produce, milk & dairy items, meat, and bread. There is ABSOLUTELY NO benefit to lining up early and waiting in line for several hours to be the first in line to receive food. Between 3:00 & 6:00 p.m., all clients will get the same foods today, regardless of what time they arrive at our location. New and returning clients MUST have their photo IDs. New clients also need to bring IDs for each person living in the home with them. 
Our next Box Food Distribution will be today at 3:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped at Loaves & Fishes on or before March 12 are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive thru today.
Because of today’s colder temperatures, we will have ONE distribution lane for clients today. ALL clients will enter our parking lot from E Maine Ave, drive up to our front door area, be checked in, pull up to our garage door to have their vehicle loaded with food and then exit through our “new” parking lot onto E Cherokee. We ask clients to be please be patient this afternoon, we have plenty of food and will serve as many households as possible between 3—6p.m. We ask that all new & returning clients bring their photo ID, proof of address, and IDs/documentation for ALL people in the home, including children. Loaves & Fishes encourages only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above listed documentation. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distributions) on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3—6p.m. 
(Click on the above photo to watch a video from Good Morning America featuring the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma) On March 17, we made the difficult decision to suspend our Client Choice pantry model and switch to a boxed food distribution. We made this choice in order to protect the health and safety of our clients, volunteers, and staff. In 7 days of drive-thru service, we have distributed 51,607 pounds of food to 1,051 families. The need is still great, but we are fortunate to have partners, like the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, many generous private & corporate donors, and countless volunteers willing to put the needs of others before their own. “Regardless of any danger around [us, Loaves & Fishes] will be here until [we are] not needed anymore.” Our next drive-thru box distribution will be today from 3:00-6:00 p.m. We ask that all new & returning clients bring their photo ID, proof of address, and IDs for each person in the home. Loaves & Fishes encourages only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. 
Our next Box Food Distribution will be today at 3:00 p.m. Clients who last shopped at Loaves & Fishes on or before March 5 are eligible to receive grocery assistance in our drive thru today.
For the health and safety of all our volunteers & staff, and in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, if you have a fever, cough or shortness of breath, please stay home. The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission, like box distribution at Loaves & Fishes. If you are feeling any of the above symptoms, stay home and find a family member/friend to pick up your groceries for you. They will need: · Your Photo ID · Their Photo ID · A dated and signed letter naming them as your designated pick up person We ask that all new & returning clients bring their photo ID, proof of address, and IDs for each person in the home. Loaves & Fishes encourages only 1 person per household to attend box distribution, if at all possible. One person may pick up food for multiple households if they have the above listed documentation. Because we are still giving out a high volume of food (approximately 40 to 60 pounds per household), we encourage clients to find a ride if at all possible. If that is not possible, then we will serve clients who walk to our location AFTER we have gotten through a bulk of the vehicles waiting, this is for the safety of our clients on foot. Loaves & Fishes is only able to offer grocery assistance (Emergency Bags & Box Distribution) on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3:00—6:00 p.m. 
Our Box Food Distribution will begin at 3:00 today!
New and returning clients MUST have their photo IDs. New clients also need to bring IDs for each person living in the home with them. Because we are still giving out a high volume of food (approximately 40 to 60 pounds per household), we encourage clients to find a ride if at all possible. If that is not possible, then we will serve clients who walk to our location AFTER we have gotten through a bulk of the vehicles waiting, this is for the safety of our clients on foot. 
Our Box Food Distribution will begin at 3:00 today!
New and returning clients MUST have their photo IDs. New clients also need to bring IDs for each person living in the home with them. Because we are still giving out a high volume of food, at least 50 pounds to each household, we encourage clients to find a ride if at all possible. If that is not possible, then we will serve clients who walk to our location AFTER we have gotten through a bulk of the vehicles waiting, this is for the safety of our clients on foot. 
In our efforts to respond to the rising need caused by COVID-19, Loaves & Fishes has distributed 34,033 pounds of food to 661 households in the last 6 days. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. We distributed 34,033 pounds of food to 661 households in the last 6 days!
We want assure all of our clients and neighbors in need that we have a strong relationship with the @Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and have a steady supply of food to distribute. As a partner agency of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, we are considered part of the essential critical infrastructure workers by Homeland Security and the state of Oklahoma and will continue to operate when non-essential businesses are forced to close. We need support and assistance from our community no more than ever. Because of the rising numbers of clients served and the increased amount of food distributed we are in need of financial donations now more than ever. We are still able to provide a family with a month’s worth of groceries for just $34, please consider donating on our website (click here). In addition to financial donations, we also need volunteers. If you are healthy and able to volunteer please email us to sign up to volunteer (melanie@loavesandfishesnwok.org). 
We are incredibly grateful for our partners at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. With our rising numbers of clients served, they are working extra hard to keep food coming to us. It takes a village!!
Our Box Distribution will begin at 3:00 p.m. today. New and returning clients MUST have their photo IDs. New clients also need to bring IDs for each person living in the home with them. 
Our Box Food Distribution will begin at 3:00 today!
Because we are still giving out a high volume of food, at least 50 pounds to each household, we encourage clients to find a ride if at all possible. If that is not possible, then we will serve clients who walk to our location AFTER we have gotten through a bulk of the vehicles waiting, this is for the safety of our clients on foot. We were able to serve 178 households today! We have plenty of food to serve more clients in the future, but we need volunteers to do that!
To volunteer, please email our Director of Operations, Katie (katie@loavesandfishesnwok.org), and we'll get you on our schedule! Loaves & Fishes NWOK’s response to COVID-19:
The health, safety and well-being of our volunteers, clients and staff is the number one priority of Loaves & Fishes of Northwest Oklahoma as we face these uncertain circumstances. We also remain committed to feeding our hungry neighbors during this pandemic and doing all we can to lift up those who are in need. It is with this in mind that Loaves & Fishes has made the decision to be proactive and move to boxed food distribution. In an effort to create fewer social interactions, pre-packed boxes of food will be handed out in a drive-thru setting in our parking lot. Normal shopping in our pantry will temporarily stop, and boxes will be the sole way of food distribution until the risk of infection has passed, but Loaves & Fishes NWOK will still aim to provide fresh produce, meat and dairy items to our clients.
We’d like to encourage anyone who is healthy and who feels comfortable to consider volunteering. It’s a difficult time to ask for help, but with a small staff tasked with overseeing distribution, we will likely need 10-15 volunteers each day. If you are able to work with us please reach out to L&F at 580-540-9830. We would ask our community to be understanding and kind to one another as we weather this pandemic together. Our Loaves & Fishes team is determined to continue providing food while still taking necessary measures that are in the best interest of clients, volunteers and staff. |
March 16, 2020
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Currently, Loaves & Fishes NWOK is doing our usual operations and pantry hours, but we have taken extra steps to ensure the cleanliness of our building and have made additional hand sanitizer and cleaning products available.
Our priority is providing groceries to those who are food-insecure, but we must also keep in mind the well-being of our volunteers and staff. L&F will continue to closely monitor the CDC and WHO for the latest updates, as well as the state and local health departments. If it becomes impossible to safely host our client-choice food pantry, our Leadership will make informed and rational decisions about how to best proceed. |
