A Message From Our Executive Director on COVID-19

Over the last few weeks, Thrive DC staff has worked tirelessly to provide food and emergency services to our client community. In this last week, we have exhausted our supply of food and cleaning products and we don't feel we can continue to operate safely under the current circumstances. 

As of Monday, March 23rd, Thrive DC will suspend all operations at our service center and to all outreach sites. On March 23rd, 2020 Thrive DC staff will begin teleworking. During this time, Thrive DC staff will be available and in communication with our partners and clients via e-mail, phone, text, and social media. 

Our primary concern is the safety and welfare of our clients, staff, and volunteers during this unprecedented public health emergency. While our service center is closed, we will work hard to continue to provide every means of support possible, including continuing to monitor, inform, support and uplift our clients during this emergency. We will also be working on strategies to offer, what we know will be, much need assistance after this is over.

Over the last few weeks, we have seen an outpouring of kindness, courage, and service. We are so incredibly grateful to our volunteers, donors, friends and colleagues who have continued to work on behalf of our client community. 

We know you will stand with us as we work through these challenging times and will continue to work with us to help rebuild our community when this crisis has passed. We send our heartfelt wishes to everyone to stay safe and healthy.
 
Please check our website and social media platforms for updates. If you have specific questions please reach out to us at info@thrivedc.org 

Note to our clients: Thrive DC’s mail services will not be available during the shutdown period.  If you require any mail sent to you during the next couple of weeks and have an alternative address, please contact the sender to let them know.

With cases of COVID-19 identified in the Washington metropolitan region, Thrive DC has been planning for ways in which our community of workers, volunteers and clients may be impacted in the coming weeks and months. At this time, we will remain open for business, operating in accordance with our regular schedule of activities. However, to minimize risks and position our organization to adequately address the needs of the community we serve, we will be implementing the following changes in our operations:

• Starting on Wednesday, March 18, Thrive DC will temporarily cease the preparation and serving of hot meals. Instead, we will provide sandwiches and salads at the designated meal times Monday through Friday.  We will continue to provide pantry bags, as regularly scheduled, on Tuesdays and Thursdays and distribute fresh produce bags on Fridays.

• Thrive DC has temporarily suspended new volunteer activities. We will rely on a corps of regular volunteers for continued programmatic and administrative support. We will also take all the known precautions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our volunteers.

• In partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank, Thrive DC has agreed to be a food hub if food insecurity becomes more pervasive due to the current public health crisis.

• At our facilities, we have implemented additional hand washing and cleaning procedures for staff members, clients and volunteers and have added other sanitation measures to our already robust hygiene protocols. Our priority is keeping our staff, clients and volunteers healthy, while also ensuring continuity of operations for those in need of assistance.

As this is an evolving situation, Thrive DC follows the lead of DC Department of Human Services, DC Department of Health, and DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management with regard to continued operations and will update you if anything changes and as soon as we can. Please follow us on our social media channels for the latest updates.

We are so thankful for the support of our entire community, their continued encouragement, hard work and good wishes. Thrive DC is committed to supporting the Washington DC community and in partnership with other service organizations we will work to make sure that the most vulnerable members of our community have the services they need during these challenging times.

* The Episcopal Diocese has decided to close all Episcopal churches in Washington DC through March 28^th, 2020.  This means that the sanctuary at Saint Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church and all church related operations will cease temporarily and are scheduled to re-open on March 29^th.  However, organizations within the annex office building--like Thrive DC--will be making decisions about their operations independently. If you have questions regarding the continued operations of a particular organization, please contact them directly or visit their website. Again, Thrive DC will remain open and operational until further notice.