Stratford House of Blessing Welcomes You

Our Response to COVID -19

Date: March 15, 2020

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Dear Community Members,

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With growing concerns around COVID-19, Stratford House of Blessing would like to update our community regarding our response to date and our commitment to our community moving forward.  The health and safety of our staff, volunteers and visitors is of the utmost importance and we are following the lead of our local and Canadian public health agencies during this important time.

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We want to ensure the food bank remains a safe environment for our food bank recipients, volunteers and staff and, as such, are doing the following:

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• Food Bank Program:

  • We will now be preparing food hampers to minimize the time spent in the food bank and allow us the opportunity to sanitize between each visit.

  • Food Bank will continue to run on Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursday from 10:00 am to 11:45 am and 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

  • If you are experiencing any symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath and/or breathing difficulties) and need food we ask that you do not come into our building.  Instead, please call us at 519-273-3433 to arrange when and how you can access food services.

• House of Blessing health and safety protocol:

  • Increased cleaning protocols are in place to ensure a clean and hygienic environment – with extra attention being paid to surfaces in public areas of our facility.

  • Hand sanitizer and soap for handwashing are always available for staff, volunteers and visitors to use frequently.

  • Information about hygiene as it relates to COVID-19 is posted throughout the building.

  • We will be sanitizing the food bank service area between each food bank visit.

  • Staff and volunteers are being encouraged to monitor their own health and use good judgement when experiencing flu like symptoms by seeking medical attention and not coming to the House of Blessing.

  • We will continue to monitor the situation to see if additional changes need to be made.

• Suspension of all other programs and services (except food bank):

  • The clothing and housewares programs will be suspended until further notice

  • This means the clothing rooms are closed and you can only pick up food at this time.

  • Attention can then be focused on insuring more staff and volunteer resources are available for both the food bank program and increased sanitation needs.

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Giving to Stratford House of Blessing:

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• No Clothing or Housewares Donations:

  • We are not accepting clothing or housewares at this time, please do not drop off non-food items

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• Accepting Food and Hygiene Products:

  • If you have access to food and/or hygiene and toiletry products we appreciate your donations

  • We have designated every Friday as our ‘Food Donation Day’, please drop off donations at the red door to the left of the building between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm

  • If you are unable to drop off donations on a Friday, please call us at 519-273-3433 or email info@shob.org to make donation arrangements.

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• Accepting Financial Donations:

  • To ensure safety of all, we encourage donors to donate in these ways:

    • securely through our website www.shob.org (links to Canada Helps)

    • by phoning us at 519-273-3433

    • by mail at:  Stratford House of Blessing, 423 Erie St., Stratford ON  N5A 2N3

    • or by coming during our non-food bank hours (Monday and Friday 8:30 to 4:30 and daily between 3:30 and 4:15)

  • Your financial donations are more important than ever as individuals who struggle financially are not able to stockpile extra food, your donations will allow us to fill the gap

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During this time it is important to remember you neighbours who do not have the same access to food and personal items. Food banks are not government funded and rely on the generosity of their community to support families and individuals in need. We thank you in advance for your commitment to helping people in our community.

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Please know that we at Stratford House of Blessing are doing our part to ensure the community remains safe and healthy, while continuing to provide essential services to those in need.  We will continue to monitor this situation closely and provide ongoing updates to the community on our website and social media.

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Thank you for your continued support.

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Sincerely,

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Theresa McMurray, Executive Director

Stratford House of Blessing

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Remember, we all have a role to play in limiting the spread of COVID-19 within our community. 

The spread of viruses like COVID-19 can be limited, if not prevented, if you:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Stay home if you are feeling unwell.

• Practice respiratory etiquette such as covering your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or sleeve.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

For additional resources we encourage you to follow updates at the following links:

Huron Perth Public Health: www.hpph.ca

Public Health Ontario: www.publichealthontario.ca

Public Health Agency of Canada: www.canada.ca/en/public-health.html

World Health Organization: www.who.int

For additional resources on Stratford House of Blessing’s response to COVID-10 and updates please visit us:

Website: www.shob.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/stratfordhob

Twitter: www.twitter.com/stratfordhob

Instagram: www.instagram.com/stratfordhob

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