When COVID-19 started having impacts on St. Johns County, Pie in the Sky knew it was best to pause their mission to feed local low-income seniors due to safety concerns. During the time away, Pie in the Sky was able to create a plan to come back better than ever. Pie in the Sky has teamed up with Gas Full Service Restaurant and Purple Olive to prepare boxed meals for local seniors in need. Their food partner, KeHE, has also contributed by supplying pantry items, along with Waste Not Want Not and Hunger Fight. Volunteers will be delivering boxed meals and pantry items starting Monday, May 4 at 11:30am.
Volunteers have been split into two different teams with the Red Team delivering Monday, May 4 at 11:30am and the Green Team delivering Wednesday, May 20 at 11:30am. Deliveries will be made without contact to practice CDC social distancing guidelines. Established volunteers will be picking up deliveries during a set arrival time at the Warehouse, located at 134 Riberia Street, Unit 4, St. Augustine. Each driver will be given a mask, gloves, hand sanitizer, and a route sheet. Drivers will be asked to pull up to the warehouse and pop their trunk in order to practice social distancing. Seniors have been notified of the delivery and will be waiting for a knock on the door.
“Over the years, these local restaurants have supported us. Now it is our time to give back to them,” explained Pie in the Sky Executive Director, Malea Guiriba, of the organization’s purchase of each of the boxed meals they will be delivering. “We are easing back into our operation to give back in a safe and cautious way. We will begin delivering restaurant meals and pantry items while practicing CDC guidelines and move forward to delivering fresh fruits and vegetables in the future.”
If you are a local business interested in serving fresh meals to seniors in need, please contact Malea Guiriba at pyinthesky@comcast.net. If you are interested in partnering with the organization in this endeavor to support local restaurants, please donate online at www.pieintheskystjohns.org/donate. Photos by Ryan Wendler.
