Residents at The Glebe Donate to Local Food Bank Amidst COVID-19

Residents at The Glebe—LifeSpire of Virginia’s community in Daleville, Va.—are socially distancing after Gov. Ralph Northam (D–VA.) issued his recent Executive Order regarding the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These guidelines have made life challenging for seniors who are the most at risk when it comes to contracting the virus.

At the recommendation of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the leadership team at The Glebe made the difficult decision to restrict visitors to the community, cancel group activities and close communal dining. While some may feel restricted by these guidelines, many of the residents at The Glebe say they feel fortunate.

“We are over here feeling very privileged to have our meals delivered to our front door every day,” said Larry Fischbach, president of The Glebe’s resident council. “So, we wanted to give to those in our area who are in need.”

Using money saved from sales at The Glebe’s thrift store, the council made a $1,000 donation to the Botetourt Food Pantry. Just seven miles from The Glebe’s campus, the pantry distributes food through Feeding America—a nationwide network of member food banks—on a monthly basis. Families in need receive non-perishable canned goods, frozen meats, bread and baked goods.

The residents’ council has made donations to the food pantry for the past several years. Fischbach said they typically give a portion of the budgeted donation in the spring and another portion in the fall but, given the current situation with COVID-19, they voted to give the full donation immediately.

“Because we can’t get together in person, we held a meeting via email to vote. We knew the food bank would probably need help now,” he said. “We are going to look at modifying our council agreement to give the food bank a little more later.”

Recipients of the food are required to fill out paperwork for Feeding America. The food pantry is open from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays, and by appointment in case of emergencies.