Please Help: This is a Very Real Way to Make a Difference Right Now
This is a scary time for many of us, and lots of people are looking for a way to make a difference. At the same time, we are receiving an increased number of smoking complaints. Please, please keep in mind that smoke:
- makes some of your neighbors sick or unable to breathe
- makes some of your neighbors uncomfortable
- makes some of your neighbors very scared
- is incredibly dangerous in combination with oxygen, which is in use in every building
- was the likely cause of a horrible fire at Seacliff that resulted in not only a frightening emergency evacuation but also in individuals needing to move out of their apartments for many months
Even if you are willing to risk lease violations and your own housing, please keep in mind that you can make a huge positive difference during a very stressful time by keeping the comfort and safety of your neighbors in mind and limiting your smoking to the one designated smoking area only (where we also recommend that you keep a distance of at least 6 feet from anyone else).
If you are looking for free coaching help in managing cravings for times when you do not wish to go out to the smoking area, including potential access to free medication to assist with this, the Maine Tobacco HelpLine is available at 1-800-207-1230.
Food
- If you signed up for a Food Bank delivery, you will receive a OneCall once we have delivered to your building, which we expect to be late afternoon today. Other than Anchorage, deliveries will be to your Resource Tables. If there is Food Bank paperwork attached to your bag, please complete this paperwork and leave it in the Food Bank envelope on your Resource Table or in the mail slot of the admin office front door by noon tomorrow, Friday, March 27. The Food Bank needs this for this week’s deliveries and to keep you on the list for future deliveries.
- If you are able to get to the Food Bank instead of participating in deliveries here, Food Bank staff encourage you to do so, as you will have access to much more food than they are able to provide in these deliveries. The Food Bank has changed their practices to allow for social distancing and someone will greet you in the parking lot to explain the new process. Please let Kristen know if you would like to be removed from our list.
- All Salvation Army services are currently being offered by phone. They are making deliveries of food baskets twice a day. If you are in need of a delivery, contact them at 443-3611. They are also able to deliver items from their Free Table; you will need to ask what they have on hand when you call. If you are able to access your building’s Resource Table or have a neighbor who can do this for you, use of the Resource Table will minimize exposure to both your neighbors and the Salvation Army staff/volunteer making the delivery.
- To clear up a few areas of confusion:
- The Food Bank deliveries are unrelated to the Senior Food Boxes that some individuals receive monthly at the Bath Senior Center.
- Despite community rumors, the Shaw’s manager has confirmed to us that they will continue to receive food deliveries.
- For those of you who completed Dogwill request forms for food or pet supplies, we will provide an update as soon as Dogwill has reviewed the requests.
Communication
- Our OneCall phone messaging has become more critical than ever before. If you do not participate and would like to, please call Sarah at the office at 443-3116. We are distributing notices twice a week and all other communication is going out via OneCall.
- Phone numbers to continue to keep on hand:
- Call 211 for assistance with questions about any needs that you might have right now as well as for general COVID-19 questions.
- If you or someone you know is in crisis, the Maine Crisis Line number is 1-888-568-1112. You can also visit com.
We are trying to keep these notices brief and just focus on highlights. If you have any questions, please reach out to us. If you are able to assist neighbors who have difficulty getting or reading the notices, please do. We also continue to encourage that you follow current CDC guidelines on important issues such as hand washing and social dis