GREENFIELD — The Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen was closed Friday, Aug. 28, after a volunteer was potentially exposed to COVID-19.
However, a local church will step in to provide food for those in need while the soup kitchen remains shuttered, at least through Monday, Aug. 31.
Jill Ebbert, director of the soup kitchen, said a volunteer who came in for a shift at the facility recently learned that her husband had been a close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. In response, the soup kitchen decided to shut down temporarily to consult with the Hancock County Health Department.
Ebbert said she was told by the health department that the exposure risk of volunteers and staff members who worked with the potentially exposed volunteer is low enough that they do not need to self-quarantine, unless that volunteer tests positive or develops symptoms.
“Our contact was far enough down the ladder that we do not need to quarantine,” Ebbert said.
The kitchen, however, will not reopen immediately as it waits for more information on what steps leaders should take to ensure the facility is clean. It closed its dining room at the outset of the pandemic in March but has maintained carryout service ever since.
“We are just trying to err on the side of caution. We’re trying to keep our volunteers and clients as safe as possible,” Ebbert said.
On Monday, Park Chapel Christian Church in Greenfield will respond to the need by distributing food in the parking lot of Greenfield Christian Church, located next to the soup kitchen, 202 E. Main St. Volunteers will distribute bagged lunches and dinners free of charge from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Park Chapel is prepared to continue providing food over a longer period of time if the soup kitchen needs to remain closed, Ebbert said.
Crystal Baker, office manager and preparedness coordinator at the Hancock County Health Department, said in an email the department could not confirm any cases associated with the soup kitchen and has not advised it to shut down for any length of time.
As for what approach an organization or workplace should generally take if they learn a worker has potential secondary exposure to COVID-19, Baker said they are always free to call the health department to seek guidance in their specific case.
As of Friday, Aug. 28, Hancock County has seen 803 total cases of COVID-19 and 41 deaths. Eleven new cases had been recorded in the previous 24 hours, the highest number on a single day since 14 were recorded Aug. 11.
The news of a new difficulty for the soup kitchen comes just days after the Greenfield City Council voted to allocate it an additional $15,000 in funding. The resolution was introduced by Councilman Mitch Pendlum, who said he had learned the soup kitchen was having difficulty affording its operating budget during the pandemic as, like many other nonprofits, demand for its services has risen and fundraising events were cancelled.
The money came from a city fund used to distribute some revenue from the County Economic Development Income Tax to nonprofit organizations. Greenfield had a surplus of $28,000 in the fund for 2020. The council voted unanimously in favor of Pendlum’s proposal.
Ebbert said the soup kitchen hopes to reopen early next week.
“I’m hoping that we can go back to business as usual Tuesday,” she said.
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Park Chapel Christian Church will distribute free meals in Greenfield on Monday, Aug. 31 due to the temporary closure of the Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen.
Meals will be distributed from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the southeast corner of Greenfield Christian Church, next door to the soup kitchen. Each person can pick up a bagged lunch and dinner.
The soup kitchen, which is closed due to a volunteer’s potential COVID-19 exposure, hopes to return to normal operations on Tuesday.
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