Some normalcy is returning to the Salvation Army, with the Greenfield and Turners Falls stores having opened last week and the Athol branch resuming its in-person faith services.
“We’re reopening our church, following the guidelines the governor has provided, but we’re going to start with an outdoor service at Silver Lake,” Athol Salvation Army Maj. Nancy Townsend said. “We submitted our plans to headquarters and it was approved.”
Townsend said people not only have to stay safe physically during the pandemic, but need to reset the button on their spiritual, mental and emotional health.
“We’ll also be holding services from this point inside, but only 25 people will be allowed in at a time so they can safely social distance,” she said. “Anyone else over that number will meet in an adjoining space. We’ve also been holding our services live on Facebook, and can continue that as well.”
Capt. Scott Peabody of the Salvation Army branch in Greenfield said it has been holding spiritual services online and outside, and will continue to do so.
“It’s been a learning curve for all of us,” he said.
Peabody said Greenfield kept its food pantry open throughout the pandemic, and continues to feed between 60 and 70 people a day. The agency does not provide breakfast as it did before the health crisis hit, but does provide takeout lunches Monday through Friday.
“If people want food from our pantry, they call and make an appointment to pick up,” he explained.
Peabody said that although the Hope Street store is open, the Chapman Street facility is not fully open. Both the Athol and Greenfield facilities continue to serve to-go meals.
“We’ll have to see how things go,” Peabody said. “(Staff at the Hope Street store) will let people know as they arrive what needs to be done, but people will have to wear a mask.”
Amid the pandemic, the Greenfield Salvation Army has collaborated with other social service agencies to make sure people aren’t going hungry. Peabody said he, his wife, a part-time cook and about 20 volunteers do everything the Salvation Army was doing before it had to close.
“We’ve just learned how to adapt to changing rules,” Peabody said. “We find different ways to provide.”
In Athol, Townsend said she has seen the number of people she and others are serving increase during the pandemic.
“We served 700-plus people during April,” she said. “Normally, we’d serve about half of that in a single month.”
Townsend said the agency provides groceries to people four days a week now — early in the pandemic, that was reduced to two days to limit potential exposure to the virus. Even with a decrease in days, the Athol Salvation Army still saw an increase in demand.
“We went, for instance, from providing five meals to a family at one time to eight meals,” she explained. “The food bank in Worcester has helped us a lot.”
Townsend said the agency also helped the YMCA in Athol by providing meals to the people in its homeless shelter on weekends. The agency also shopped for shut-ins, and called people to make sure they were well and ask if they needed anything.
“Even though we were not open, if someone showed up at the door, they didn’t walk away empty-handed,” she said. “The one thing we haven’t been able to do is provide transportation.”
Townsend said what has been most critical to people is feeding them and providing food to take home.
“Imagine if you can’t afford food,” she said. “It’s a big factor in feeling comfort and security. It’s what keeps us all alive. As long as they have a food source in us, they feel like things will be OK.”
For more information, call the Salvation Army in Greenfield at 413-773-3154 or the Salvation Army in Athol at 978-249-8111.