Shepherd Wellness Community announced that they would be resuming in-person Friday dinners, which haven’t been held in over two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Friday dinners will resume on April 8, 2022. Read the full announcement from Shepherd Wellness Community below:
Health Guidelines and Procedures for SWC Resuming Friday In-Person Dinners and HIV+ Support Group beginning April 8, 2022
Shepherd Wellness Community is pleased and excited to resume Friday in-person dinners and HIV+ Support Group for our members and their guests on April 8, 2022! For the good of all, we are following CDC guidelines for at-risk populations as recommended by our medical advisors and approved by our Board of Directors. These guidelines may change as local COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and transmission rates change.
During the month of April, we will have dinners on Fridays only, and provide 3 Frozen Wellness Meals for pick-up on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only each week beginning on April 5-6. We will evaluate when to begin holding dinners on Mondays and Wednesdays and discontinue Frozen Meals.
The care and support of our members is always our priority. These are the guidelines and procedures we have put in place for your safety and to minimize risk:
FULL VACCINATION (2 Moderna/Pfizer or 1 J&J shot) REQUIRED. Please submit your vaccination card to the SWC office before attending a dinner/program to keep our check in process smooth and quick.
- Booster shots are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED (talk to your doctor).
- Those over age 75 OR with a compromised/suppressed immune system are discouraged from attending (talk to your doctor about the risks).
MASKS REQUIRED INDOORS – except when seated and actively eating and drinking.
A HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND WAIVER OF LIABILITY will be completed and signed at check-in each time you come into our center. IF YOU DO NOT FEEL WELL, PLEASE DO NOT COME TO AN IN-PERSON DINNER.
SOCIAL DISTANCING WILL BE PRACTICED.
- Please respect others who do not want to be hugged or touched. Ask first!
- Please do not rearrange tables and chairs, which are placed for social distancing.
- We will be dining in the Activities Room and using the Sciota Street doors to enter (handicap entrance through the courtyard).
- Our maximum seating is 40. To prevent members from being turned away because of lack of available seating, we are using a required reservation process to attend. Having a reservation process is not ideal, but necessary at this time so that we can resume gathering as a community with minimal risk.
We are working to make our reopening a fair and positive experience for all as we live with limits and new realities. We appreciate your patience, flexibility, and understanding.
REQUIRED RESERVATIONS FOR FRIDAY DINNER
- Reservations must be made by calling the SWC office (412-683-4477) and speaking directly to a staff member during the designated reservation times below (no emails or voicemails accepted).
- Reservations accepted for the Friday dinner that week, up to two days before the dinner:
Call 412-683-4477 Wednesday or Thursday 9:30 am – 3 pm for the FRIDAY dinner that week.
- You may make a reservation for yourself and one guest (spouse/partner/significant other). Vaccination, masking, and questionnaire/waiver requirements apply.
You may also make reservations for your children under 18
(as their parent or legal guardian).
Vaccination and masking requirements apply.
- Reservations taken on a first call/first served basis. If we have reached our maximum, we will put you on a waiting list and call you by the day of the dinner if there is a cancellation.
- If you need to cancel your reservation, please call the office and speak to a staff member by Noon on Friday, to give us time to call those on the waiting list.
- No-Shows: if you do not call us by noon Friday to cancel and do not show up, you are not eligible for dinner reservations the following week.
- No Reservation/Late Arrival: if you come without a reservation, you risk not being admitted if we have 40 reservations booked. We will hold reserved places for late arrivals until 6:45 pm before admitting those without a reservation.
FRIDAY FRESH MEALS FOR PICK-UP
For a limited time, for members who are not vaccinated OR are not comfortable attending in-person dinners OR were not able to make Friday reservations, we will have fresh meals available (2 per member) for pick-up at our SCIOTA ST. ENTRANCE Fridays 7:00-7:15 pm.You must call us (412-683-4477) by noon that day so we can be prepared for you.
FROZEN WELLNESS MEALS BEGINNING APRIL 5-6
All certified members continue to be eligible for 3 Frozen Wellness Meals each week available by contactless pick-up on TUESDAYS and WEDNESDAYS ONLY from 11 am to 4 pm. Please call the SWC office 412-683-4477 the day you are coming so we can confirm your certification status and have your pick-up ready. We are sorry, but Frozen Meals will NOT be available for pick up at Friday dinners.
A NOTE ABOUT FRIDAY HIV+ SUPPORT GROUP
While we are using the Activities Room for meals, Support Group will meet in the Dining Room for those with reservations. Also, we now have special equipment to enable people to effectively interact through Zoom along with those in the room. If you are not able to come to Support Group in person, you can still “Zoom in” and join the group!
FRIDAY SCHEDULE BEGINNING APRIL 8
4:30 pm – Doors open on Sciota St for the Activities Room for those with reservations. Social time, with appetizers and beverages available.
5:00 – 6:30 pm – HIV+ Support Group meets in the Dining Room for those with reservations, with Zoom attendance available.
6:30 – 7:00 pm – Dinner served in the Activities Room for those with reservations.
7:00 – 7:15 pm – Fresh pick-up meals distributed (2 per member) at the SCIOTA ST. ENTRANCE for those not entering the center.
7:15 – 7:30 pm – Fresh take home meals distributed to in-person diners in the Activities Room.