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One of the most susceptible communities during the COVID-19 crisis in Henrico County took another difficult blow Friday when LAMB’s Basket food pantry closed its doors indefinitely to the low-income community. Families in need who arrived to the organization’s Oakview Avenue location in Lakeside Friday morning were surprised to find its doors locked.
Initially, there was no explanation for the closing, but by midday the organization’s website informed the community of the sudden decision with a brief note from pantry president Teddy R. Martin, Jr.:
“By order of the Board of Directors, the Pantry is CLOSED until further notice. This is regrettable but must be done to safeguard our clients and volunteers alike. When the pantry reopens we will post an opening statement.
“Thank you for your continued support and prayers during these times of uncertainty.”
LAMB’s Basket (the acronym stands for Lakeside Area Ministries Board) began as a Lakeside-area service but now serves the entire county. No one answered the phone at the location Friday afternoon.
CARITAS, Housing Families First still providing service, with some adjustments
Though there was no answer at CARITAS (Congregations Around Richmond To Assure Shelter), the organization’s website indicates it is also still open for anyone seeking emergency shelter, emergency shelter alternatives, and accessible health care. However, according to the website, the following rules are now in place due to the pandemic:
• Suspension of all new intakes into The Healing Place for Men;
• suspension of all new intakes into the 24/7 Specialty Shelter;
• suspension of all Furniture Bank donations, shopping, and onsite volunteers.
• postponement of group gatherings.
CARITAS also has canceled all on-site volunteering at The Healing Place, 700 Dinwiddie Avenue in Richmond, and is enforcing property restrictions there. It is monitoring the temperatures of all essential staff and incoming residents and testing residents for COVID-19 with the help of Daily Planet Health Services, which has extended its hours. If a resident tests positive for COVID-19, he or she will be taken to a hotel for monitoring.
Henrico-based Housing Families First, which assists those experiencing homeless and seeks to help them find permanent housing, is not accepting volunteers or donations for an indefinite period of time but is continuing to assist the 138 adults and children who are in its Hilliard House shelter and rapid rehousing program.
“During these trying times we will continue to circle around our families in shelter and in the communities with an abundance of resources and proactive measures that will allow them to safely move through their crisis,” Family Housing Case Manager Geneen Howard said in a blog post written this week by Executive Director Beth Vann-Turnbull.
The status of another local nonprofit that works primarily with those experiencing homelessness – Henrico-based Virginia Supportive Housing – is unclear. Phone calls to the organization went unanswered and rolled over directly to the Richmond Homeless Crisis Hotline.
FeedMore working to connect those in need with food
Caring for their own volunteers and support staff puts all local food pantries and shelters in the difficult position of trying to maintain their organization’s work – helping the less fortunate – without putting their own people at risk.
“It is a challenging time,” said Jessica Howe Hickey, the marketing and communications manager for Feed More. “However, at Feed More, we have a robust network of pantries across the state. Our website is set up to help those in need no matter where they are located because we have an agency locator map on our site. Folks just need to enter their zip code and it will tell them the closest food pantry.”
Anyone looking for food pantries in the area can search them easily by visiting https://feedmore.org/agency-network/agency-locator/. More than three dozen food pantries scattered around the Henrico County and greater Richmond area are listed. Those who want to visit one should call first and not assume all will be open.
