FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Contact                                                                                                   

Allison Thompson: Allison.Thompson@freshmealsonwheels.org

Sue Bohme: Sue.Bohme@freshmealsonwheels.org

920-451-7011

 

 

FRESH MEALS ON WHEELS ANNOUNCES UPDATE ON MEAL DELIVERY DURING COVID-19 CRISIS

 

SHEBOYGAN, WI (March 23, 2020) -- Fresh Meals On Wheels of Sheboygan County (FMOW) is committed to providing nutritious, medically-tailored meals throughout the COVID-19 epidemic while being cognizant of social distancing and reducing risk of illness among all populations so that people can be well at home.

 

To do so effectively, we have begun to rollout the delivery of emergency, frozen meals on a weekly basis – we anticipate that ALL clients will be receiving these meals beginning March 30. Until a person’s bulk delivery begins, daily meal delivery continues. The emergency frozen meals continue to be prepared in the Christopher Family Kitchen at FMOW and meet nutritional recommendations.

 

Volunteers who traditionally deliver meals, will begin to call meal recipients daily to say hello and to make sure all is well at home, as the social interaction and wellness check remains an important component of the FMOW program.

 

“Our community is built in kindness and love, so we want to make sure that we add a layer of love on everything we do, even if we need to eliminate the person-to-person contact,” said Kelly Anderson, Fresh Meals On Wheels CEO.

 

As additional precautions, all FMOW staff members and volunteers have their temperatures taken by an infrared no-touch thermometer. As of March 18, only 10 volunteers at a time can pick up meals to keep with Governor Tony Evers’ suggestion that no more than 10 people be in a space at one time.

 

Beginning March 12, FMOW cancelled all non-essential group volunteer projects, began daily disinfecting all delivery bags and baskets, and set up sanitizing stations throughout the building. Volunteers who have traveled to areas with high contagion risks and/or cruise ships are required to wait 14 days before delivering meals. Staff and volunteers are to remain home if they show signs of fever, cough or sore throat.

 

All of these changes have been an enormous expense to this not-for-profit organization. Additional staff, food and supplies are required to make the hundreds of extra meals needed to be able to deliver a week’s worth of meals to 300 people.

 

“Some of our most at-risk population receive two meals a day, so maintaining safe food delivery is imperative,” said Anderson.

 

Support from the community would be greatly appreciated to cover the cost of the additional food and supplies needed to safely provide extra meals to current clients and to feed those additional people in need of home delivered meals who may not be able to afford them. Donations can be made via FreshMealsOnWheels.org, on Facebook, or by mail and sent to Fresh Meals On Wheels, 1004 S. Taylor Dr., Sheboygan, WI 53081.

 

Older adults face higher risks of contracting COVID-19 and/or experiencing serious complications and death, particularly if they also have chronic medical conditions. While there are often additional prevention and treatment recommendations for such individuals, that currently is not the case for COVID-19. At this time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone, regardless of age, take the same precautions to avoid illness including stocking up on supplies, staying home as much as possible and being diligent about washing hands throughout the day.

 

For more information, or to make a donation, call Fresh Meals On Wheels at 920-451-7011.