Resources and needs continue to change quickly. Here are some important information updates for this week:
- Thank you! We feel strongly that we are all in this together for the long haul and are already getting so much feedback and some great suggestions as we reach out with phone calls. If your phone number has changed, please be sure to call the office and let us know, as we are having trouble reaching some of you.
- We expect Dogwill to make deliveries tomorrow. Your supplies will be labeled by apartment number, so please check to be sure that you have the correct bag. Also, Dogwill is now unable to deliver cat litter at this time because they usually use totes that they recycle from one home to the next (and that have not been sanitized). They are hoping for ideas about other options. Finally, a reminder from Dogwill that it is not possible to pick up Dogwill items at the Food Bank and receive Dogwill items here. Please choose the arrangement that works best for you and stick with that.
- Many of you are already aware, but it does not seem like we have specifically shared that Shaw’s is offering Golden Hours Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 am-9 am for seniors and those with compromised immune systems.
- Some of the helpful feedback that we have received so far is about Laundry Rooms, so please take note of the new signs with reminders for only 1 person to be in the Laundry Room at a time. There have been similar concerns about Smoking Areas, so we will be adding chairs to some smoking areas so that all seating can be 6 feet apart and are considering removal of outdoor furniture that does not promote keeping 6 feet apart. Please approach your building’s outdoor Resource Table one at a time as well. These changes may be frustrating, but we are learning that they can make a huge difference in preventing the spread of illness in this community. The Governor’s Order also requires that we all maintain this distance of at least 6 feet from anyone outside our household at all times in an effort to protect public health.
- Seacliff and Moorings residents should have received a OneCall to leave any remaining Food Bank paperwork out in the Food Bank envelope on your Resource Table this morning. If you have not done that, please drop your form through our office mail slot if you are able or mail the form to our office if you are able or call the office for a postage paid envelope if not.
- The Patten Free Library is closed, but is still offering lots of resources!
- If you have Internet access, you can go to this website: https://www.patten.lib.me.us/event/while-were-closed/ for lots of information on how to reach library staff as well as how to borrow and download books remotely. It sounds like some of you are reading a lot but running out of books, so this could be a great way to restock.
- If you have a vehicle, there is Wi-Fi in the library parking lot.
- If you do not yet have a library card, you can access an application at https://www.patten.lib.me.us/get-a-library-card/. A librarian will mail your card out to you after you complete your form.
- We have also reached out to library staff and librarian Roberta is happy to help anyone who is having difficulties with a phone or other device! You can leave a message for her at 443-5141 x 12 or e-mail her at . This includes help with setting up or checking voice mail.
- We like how Dr. Shah, Director of the Maine CDC, talks about the kind of hand washing that we all need to be doing right now—that we should all be washing our hands as though we have just handled a jalapeno pepper and now need to put contact lenses in our eyes! Remember that you do not need to have hand sanitizer and you can do the job just fine with soap and water. Just keep it up!
Special Notice to Seacliff Residents:
We have been hearing concerns about doors being repeatedly propped open. This is not only a security risk for your neighbors, but right now, also a health and safety risk for the entire building. Please do not prop the front, side or rear doors open at any time. If you exit the building, please take a key with you to return. And remember that the Governor’s Order means that Visitors are allowed only if they are providing care that is essential for health and safety or delivering essential supplies.