As of August 9th, 2021 - all persons vaccinated and otherwise must be wearing a mask when entering the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank! This restriction is now back in place and non-negotiable. For the safety of everyone involved, we hope volunteers will continue following guidelines and reinforce good habits. Please remember to wash your hands frequently and well, to wear a mask, wear gloves as needed/permitted, and to practice social distancing. While the FRFB never quite lifted its volunteer restrictions and kept itself at a low capacity, we have been a little more lax about them. With restrictions returning however, this leniency will too vanish. All volunteers are strongly encouraged and reminded that they MUST be signed up to volunteer. Because of COVID-19 we have limited slots for volunteer opportunities and because of this, participation requires registration.
What this means for volunteer groups: Rooms are provided a maximum capacity restriction due to COVID-19, and because of this we cannot allow large groups of volunteers to work in any one designated area. Outdoor volunteer opportunities provide some flexibility, however, warehouse volunteerism will be limited. Groups will MOSTLY be limited to a maximum of 5-10, depending on the opportunity they are signed up for/have reserved. We ask that teams do NOT reserve large opportunities without the ability to ensure they will be in attendance. We understand that things change, however, we need to keep volunteer slots open for those who can make it to an event! This is especially crucial for packs which often have deadlines to be ready by!
What this means for individual volunteers: Volunteers CANNOT bring +1 or more volunteers to opportunities! All volunteers should be and need to be REGISTERED with the FRFB and signed up to participate! Bringing someone along who isn't scheduled for the opportunity isn't fair to those who have signed up for it, and anyone who is NOT signed up may be turned away if we are at capacity! We understand that signing up for opportunities can be tedious at times, but please understand that the FRFB is trying to ensure we are following CDC guidelines to the best of our ability. This is for everyone's safety and comfort! We also ask that volunteers do NOT reserve spots in opportunities without the ability to ensure attendance. We understand that things change, however, we need to keep volunteer slots open for those who can make it to an event! Please provide as much time as possible if you unregister for us to fill your slot(s). This is especially crucial for packs which often have deadlines to be ready by!
In General: We understand that concerns are rising with the COVID-19 Delta variant, and we want to reassure our volunteers that we are doing everything we can to keep everyone safe! This also means we want to say something as equally important as the above... THANK YOU! You have been a crucial and essential part of our ability to continue providing assistance to our community neighbors! COVID-19 has hit everyone hard and changed so much - but all of you have remained helpful to our cause! We hope that we will continue working together to fight hunger and help one another! So please remain safe, healthy, and full of kindness! Together, we will all make it through to the end!
If volunteers have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact jmccoy@fredfood.org.
