With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, the Olive Tree has decided to re-open their community meals to the public.
The meal program gives a helping hand by providing a free meal on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Olive Tree plans to resume in-person meals on this schedule while continuing to offer takeaway options to people who may be apprehensive about physically gathering.
They’ll also be re-opening their ride program to the Fred North Community Centre, where the meals are held. Seats within the centre will be limited to maintain physical distancing.
Friday marked the first time The Olive Tree had a community meal since the pandemic shut it down. Executive Director Becky Schille says despite being closed for a while, the meal went off without a hitch.
“It went really well, actually. We weren’t sure if we’d have lots of people coming or none at all, so we kind of did a mix. We still did deliveries on Friday to people who had been getting them this whole time, we still did a few pickups, and we had, I think, only about 30 people who wanted to come and sit in, so it was quite a mix of a night.”
Schille adds that the community stepped up in several ways to help see them through the pandemic and make sure they were prepared to meet their demand.
“This community is amazing. We’ve received lots of donations of food, and finances, and PPE and hand sanitizer, and all of that. Yeah, we’re doing pretty good. We’re very blessed.”
With the Olive Tree re-opening these programs, they are looking for volunteers. People can find more details on how to volunteer on the Olive Tree’s website.