Though no cases have been confirmed in Callaway County so far, COVID-19 has already driven a wedge into many aspects of daily life.
Feeding the hungry is just one mission threatened by the potential spread of the illness. At SERVE, Inc. demand for food has exploded.
"In the first hour yesterday, we had more new clients than we normally get in a whole week," SERVE Executive Director Courtney Harrison said Wednesday. "These new people have never had to got to a food pantry or ask for food before."
Erring on the side of caution, SERVE introduced a drive-through food pantry system Tuesday. It's pure luck the SERVE lobby has windows facing the parking lot that can open - under normal circumstances, anyone looking for food assistance would simply walk through the front door into the SERVE lobby.
"We're making do with what we've got," Harrison said.
Now, they are being asked to drive up to the front of the building to check-in and then directed to the back of the building where employees and volunteers are loading food directly into cars.
"We're keeping interactions between people down to a minimum," Administrative Assistant Adarian Johnson said.
SERVE has temporarily dropped income requirements: "Everyone qualifies" is the current mantra.
SERVE is also using its fleet of buses to pick up anyone who doesn't have any other method of transportation and bring them to the food pantry. Harrison said they are using separate buses for different types of clients - one has been reserved solely for dialysis patients, many of whom are immunocompromised, one is restricted to people over the age of 60 and another is dedicated to anyone who has been sick recently.
"We've been around for 43 years, and we've never had to make adjustments like this," Harrison said.
The team expected economic worries and school closures would create uncertainty in the community as people try to figure out from where their next meals will come.
"This weekend we saw other places closing down, and we knew more people were going to need food," Harrison said.
Right now, SERVE is keeping up with increased demand. But there are worries about how long SERVE can keep shelves stocked without new donations.
"We need food - bad," Harrison said, noting the freezers are low on meat. "We want to make sure we can continue feeding people."
SERVE is asking for donations from the community. Harrison said frozen and canned meat, peanut butter, ready-made microwavable foods and soups are some of the foods they would like to see more of. SERVE is also accepting monetary donations through Venmo at @SERVE-Inc and PayPal at paypal.me/serveinc.
In terms of future actions, Harrison said SERVE is also considering introducing more mobile food pantry locations in the county and possibly looking at deliveries for at-risk populations.
Other resources
Like SERVE, many food pantries and soup kitchens are changing the way they operate.
The Fulton Soup Kitchen has limited volunteer numbers and switched to brown bag meals, which are available from 5-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Patrons are asked to come up to a walk-up window rather than staying and sitting.
"We feel like that was the best solution," Director Gerry Mize said.
Mize said donations have begun to dwindle.
"The way it stands, we're OK for probably the next three weeks," she said.
The Holts Summit Soup Kitchen has moved in a similar direction, switching to carry-out meals from 5-6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"Just with everything going on, we didn't want people sitting there exposed," Mary Steck said.
Steck noted during the most recent meal, several new people came out. She said the kitchen is prepared for some increases in demand as it works to provide hot meals.
"We're just taking it one day at a time," she said.
Court Street United Methodist Church is also introducing several precautions at its monthly food pantry. Scheduled for Friday, the church plans on limiting the number of people inside the building by asking patrons to stay in their cars and coming in one group at a time.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said older adults and people with serious underlying medical conditions are at a higher risk for severe illness.
Acknowledging the risk to the elderly, the Callaway County Senior Center is another organization making changes.
"We're still feeding people," Administrator April Redman said. "We're still taking out home-bound meals and also still serving hot meals."
The senior center is offering curbside service - a $4 contribution for seniors is suggested, while meals cost $6.50 for other ages.
"It's just like an old-time carhop," Redman said.
Redman said she has seen an increase demand for home-bound meals. At the same, volunteer numbers are falling as people stay home.
"We could always use more volunteers," Redman said. "Of course, don't come if you've been sick in any way, shape or form."
There are no restrictions on who can receive food from SERVE, which has expanded its hours to 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Many local groups are hosting upcoming food pantries:
Court Street United Methodist Church, 719 Court St., Fulton: Every third Friday of the month from 2-4 p.m.
Oak Chapel Food Pantry, County Road 365 Route Y, Guthrie: The first full weekend of each month on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 a.m.-noon.
St. Jude Catholic Church Parish Hall, 401 Adams St., Mokane: This week from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, 5:30-7 p.m. Monday and 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday.
Holts Summit Ministerial Alliance at Union Hill Baptist Church, 460 S. Summit Drive, Holts Summit: Every Tuesday, as well as the first, third and fourth Thursday of the month from 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Shiloh United Methodist Church, 2380 Route AA, Holts Summit: Every second Thursday from 1-3 p.m.