Dear Martin’s family
The question, now, on everyone’s lips is: “When is Martins going to reopen and return to normal?” There is no easy answer!
The good news is that with a skeleton crew of 7-8 people we were able to remain open in some fashion and serve nutritious meals to our guests throughout this year of crisis. We think it is important to recognize this fact and remember that the most important mission of Martins is to provide free food, for anyone in need, who arrives at our door.
That being said, we are eager to return to an environment where our guests can relax and refresh themselves within the safety of our garden and dining room.
We are spending a lot of time reflecting on how best to achieve this goal but it is complicated.
This summer, those of us who were able to remain in our pandemic bubble for the past 15 months are taking some time to rest. With that in mind, the soup kitchen will be closed from August 1st to August 16th. When we reopen, we will begin offering showers to our guests on a limited basis.
We are also planning on holding our ANNUAL POTLUCK AND GENERAL MEETING on Sunday, September, 12th from 4:30-7:00. (During the pandemic we made the decision to commit Martins to an all vegetarian meal plan. We ask that you honor that decision in your contributions to the potluck. Thank you.) At the meeting we will be canvassing potential volunteers about your availability, for the time being we are not accepting additional volunteers, but we will answer questions, discuss scheduling and other topics, with an eye on the future.
We look forward to gathering, once again, with all of you, as we move forward and build a new Martins, together. In the meantime, as always, we are deeply grateful for the ways in which so many of you have supported us through this challenging year.
Of course, we request that you only attend if you are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Thank you and we hope you have a safe and relaxing summer!
In peace and love,
The Pandemic crew
