Gray House Response to COVID-19 *updated 5/8/20*

By Kristen McClintock | May 8, 2020

The Gray House Response to COVID-19

(Updated 5/8/20)

Our primary concern is the well-being of our staff, volunteers and those we serve. We have put in place preventative measures to protect against COVID-19.

The Gray House is making certain that bathrooms, surfaces and touch points (door knobs, railings, light switches, phones, computer equipment etc.) are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

If any volunteers staff or clients are suspected to be sick, they will be asked to leave the premise.

Kids’ Club and Adult Education are closed for the remainder of the school year. The Gray House will continue providing emergency food. A new system to limit contact is outlined below.

No more than 10 individuals will be in the building at one time. Only staff and volunteers scheduled will be permitted in the building. Any unexpected visitors will be communicated with via the intercom system and will not be permitted inside the building.  Donors dropping off food should drive to the bottom of the ramp and open their vehicle door. Volunteers/staff on-hand will bring the items inside and the donor will be asked to shut their vehicle door. Donors will not be permitted to come inside and should not hand off donations to staff or volunteers. No other donations will be accepted at this time.

Screening Questions

All volunteers and staff will be asked the below screening questions before participating each day. Anyone who answers no to question one or yes to 2-5 will not be able to work/volunteer or come in to the building.

  1. Are you practicing social distancing at all times?
  2. Are you engaging in any activities that may expose you to COVID-19? (i.e., visiting a hospital)
  3. Do you have any of the following symptoms?
    • Fever (100.4 degrees or higher)
    • Cough
    • Shortness of breath
    • Chills
    • Muscle pain
    • Headache
    • Sore throat
    • New loss of taste or smell
  1. In the last month, have you been in contact with someone who was confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19?
  2. In the last month, have you traveled internationally or to an area with a known COVID-19 outbreak?

Face Coverings

Anyone inside The Gray House must wear a mask at all times, whether or not there are others around you and anyone working/volunteering outside must wear a mask at all times. When outside, if you must take off your mask for any reason, it must be far away from all other people, equipment and food. You must thoroughly sanitize your hands before and after removing the mask. If you need to put on the same mask, be sure to put it on the same way you took it off (do not reverse the direction). The mask must cover your nose, mouth, and chin and fit snugly without restricting your breathing. Anyone not following these rules must leave The Gray House property.

As per the Governor’s order, and with the exception of individuals inside their vehicle, The Gray House cannot serve anyone who is not wearing a face covering. This can include any homemade covering which fully covers their mouth and nose. The Gray House is working to secure extra face coverings so that any individual using public transportation who does not have a mask, can obtain one from us and so that we do not need to turn them away. They must be covering their mouth and nose with the mask before they are served.

If you are wearing a fabric mask, be sure to wash it frequently. Disposable masks that cannot be washed should not be reused.

Precautions for everyone to take:

  • Wear a face covering at all times
  • Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
  • Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze with a tissue or inner elbow
  • Stay home if you are sick
  • Any volunteers, staff, or clients who have vulnerable immune systems or health concerns or are around those who do, should stay home.
  • Maintain a distance of 6 feet between individuals

For the Market:

  • Volunteers must watch the curbside food distribution training video prior to volunteering
  • All staff and volunteers must wear gloves and masks at all times when on premise and avoid touching their eyes, ears, nose.
  • All food will be distributed outside and no one, other than the scheduled volunteers and staff, is permitted to enter the building.
  • Anyone in a car will be instructed to remain in their car. Tents will be set up at the end of our driveway, closest to the street so that cars can pull up, their name and the number of people in their household will be collected verbally from a distance, car will move forward and one volunteer will open the trunk and another volunteer will place the bags inside the car. The volunteer handling the door will replace their glove after each car. All volunteers will be wearing gloves at all times. As bins get low, volunteers from inside will replenish.
  • For clients walking in, the same process will be followed but their individual bags will be placed on a pallet by the volunteer and the client will take the bags from the pallet. There will be a barrier set up to ensure that distance is kept between individuals.
  • Maximum of 2 volunteers will be in the normal pantry area bagging meat/dairy throughout the day
  • Maximum of 4 total volunteers will be in the classrooms bagging non-perishables throughout the day
  • Maximum of 5 volunteers will be outside doing the distribution
  • These visits will not count against their 12 visits/year and no paperwork will be collected.

 

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