Some services at the Brazos Valley Food Bank remain available after an employee tests positive for coronavirus.
According to weekend posts from the food bank’s Facebook page, a board member and two temporary workers are in the warehouse Monday through Friday of this week. This will allow the food bank to take care of summer backpack sites, senior bag sites, mobile pantry partners, and partner agencies.
And food bank donations can be made by appointment. Call 979-779-3663 and leave a message. A food bank employee will return the call to make arrangements.
The food bank’s distribution warehouse and volunteer remain closed to volunteers and the public.
Original story:
The Brazos Valley Food Bank is closed through at least next week.
That’s after an employee tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday.
According to the Food Bank’s Facebook page, the warehouse and volunteer center are closed because the employee had close contact with all warehouse and volunteer center staff.
Both area will be completely sanitized by a professional service.
All employees in both areas are in self isolation and will be tested.
The food bank has notified those who volunteered this week. Future volunteers will be contacted soon.
Partner agencies that may have had contact with the infected employee will be contacted.
The food bank will not contact partner agencies and retail pick up partners who were not in contact with the infected employee.
From the Brazos Valley Food Bank’s Facebook page:
As a trusted helping organization in the Brazos Valley and one that values transparency, we feel this information is important to share with all of our supporters:
BVFB has an employee who tested positive for COVID late yesterday afternoon (7/9/20).
That employee left the facility immediately and is now quarantining. Because this employee had close contact with all warehouse and volunteer center staff, these staff are now self-isolating and will be tested.
As of right now, the Warehouse and Volunteer Center are closed from now through next week (at least).
Plan of Action: The Warehouse and Volunteer Center will be completely sanitized by a professional service.
We are exploring alternate options in order to maintain some distribution processes next week. Stay tuned.
BVFB has been operating throughout COVID. We never stopped our services – yet, almost all services had to be modified. Safety for those in need, for volunteers and staff was and is a high priority. BVFB implemented social distancing in the Volunteer Center and Warehouse early on, as well as gloves. We also mandated masks well before it was being done in this area and long before there were mandates. We have hand sanitizer everywhere and utilize a professional cleaning service that has done weekly deep cleaning/sanitizing for us for months now.
Nonetheless, COVID has now hit BVFB. We are handling the situation responsibly and professionally, consulting the Brazos County Health District and following CDC guidelines. Our goal is to get everyone back here as soon as possible, acting as safely as possible, and to get food to our partner agencies and ultimately to those who need it ongoingly.
If you have volunteered with us this week, separate notification has already been sent to you. If you are scheduled to volunteer next week, someone will be in contact with you soon. If you are a partner agency that may have been exposed, you will hear from us (if you do not hear from us, there is nothing to worry about at this time). Same with Retail Pick-Up Partners.
We always appreciate you. But, at this difficult time, we would really value your continued support.
