Author: Waysmeet

Dear Friends,
These are unprecedented times, and the Waysmeet Center and Cornucopia Food Pantry firmly believe that we
all must work together for the common good at this time to help mitigate and contain the Covid-19 virus. The
Waysmeet Center prides itself on having an open door policy and on being a safe space, but at this time those two
pieces don’t coincide, so we are going to work within the recommendations of the CDC and NH DHHS for the time being
until the world becomes a more comfortable place again.
For the safety of all involved and following CDC recommendations, for the time being The Waysmeet Center building
will be closed to non-essential personnel; however we are still committed to providing food to people through the
Cornucopia Food Pantry. We will have to do that much differently now than we ever have in the past. For the safety of
volunteers and customers, we will adopt a new system that is in line with limiting contact per CDC recommendations.

Here’s how the Food Pantry will work beginning the week of March 22 nd and running until we can get back to our
normal lives:
 FIRST AND FOREMOST, IF YOU FEEL SICK, PLEASE FOLLOW CDC GUIDELINES AND STAY HOME. Send someone
else to pick up your food, please.
 From now on, each person will have a designated appointment time, which, hopefully, will stay the same each
week for you.
 You can make an appointment by calling (603)862-1165 or by emailing waysmeet@comcast.net.
 You can use the pantry once each week.
 Days and times at which you can make an appointment will likely be Tuesday from 3-6pm, Wednesday from 1-
4pm, and Friday 12-2pm. You can pick a time within those hours. This may change based on how many
volunteers we have available, but let’s start there.
 Appointment times will be 10 minutes apart so there will be NO LINE and NO WAITING. When you arrive at your
appointment time, your box will be waiting for you outside. It will be all ready to go, so you won’t have to wait
for it or come into contact with anyone else. Unfortunately, for everyone’s safety, right now we cannot allow
people to shop for themselves.
 If you usually come with 2 or 3 other people in the same vehicle, you can make one appointment time and all
come at the same time. Those 2 or 3 boxes will be waiting outside for you when you arrive.
 If you have special dietary restrictions, please let Alissa know that when you set your appointment time.
 When you set your appointment, you might also tell us how many people you will be feeding.
Covid-19 is forcing us to be very un-Waysmeet-like, which, frankly, is uncomfortable for us in the short run, but,
hopefully doing it this way will result in less illness, which, in the long run will allow us all to go back to our normal lives.
This transition may be a little bumpy at first, but it is the safest way we can think of to continue serving people. If you
have any questions, please let us know.
These are strange, uncomfortable, anxiety filled times, but we still intend to send out to you as much food as we
take in each week. We appreciate your flexibility!
We wish you peace in these strange times,
The Waysmeet Center

The Waysmeet Center/Cornucopia Food Pantry will be closed from March 15-March 23 for UNH Spring Break and staff will be in the office for limited hours. We will not be open during our usual Tuesday and Friday hours this week.  We recognize that this is a challenging time, so if you are in need of food assistance please give us a call at (603)862-1165 or email us at alissawaysmeet@gmail.com or waysmeet@comcast.net and we will do our best to create a time for you to come by and use the food pantry.  This will also give us a chance to figure out how we will move forward in the coming weeks as we balance everyone’s health and safety with the needs of our customers.

At this point, we do not feel that it would be in line with CDC and NH DHHS recommendations to continue having folks gather in our meeting room before the food pantry opens on Tuesdays and Fridays.  We will be working on a system that keeps customers, staff, and volunteers safe and healthy, so we appreciate your patience and flexibility. You will be able to find updated information on our website: waysmeetcenter.org or by following The Waysmeet Center on Facebook.

We will continue to monitor recommendations by the CDC, NH DHHS, and the Town of Durham as we move through this time.  Decisions could change quickly as those recommendations change, so stay tuned.

Copy and paste the links into a web browser to find the forms 🙂

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GpQGjbDSjyTn7HRu8BwPVxS_yHD6D43lJp6tNd7V-r8/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MEQyhC4d88Rhkzdfh-am4LXka9qSnNnkeYOpgnCOEmc/edit?usp=sharing

Life is hard. It is easy to go through the motions of everyday life without actually living: wake up, eat, go to work, come home, and sleep. A combination of isolation due to society’s dependence on technology and the pressure of living in a fast paced world can be taxing. Sometimes, all we need after a long day is a netflix binge session.

The financial, emotional, and physical stress of being a working American in this day and age can be difficult. Many people find themselves stuck in jobs so they can pay their bills. They sacrificed things they once enjoyed to live a life of comfort and monotony. We escape the challenges, expectations, and deadlines through Facebook, social media, and TV. As a society, we are dull.

I recognize this in my daily life. After my classes, meeting, and work is done for the day, I pretty much hangout and watch TV or Netflix. I can stuck in a routine for weeks with no variations. This leaves me bored, uninspired, and lazy.

It is time to wake up! Me, you; everyone! It’s time to start being human again and living to our full potential. Watch an inspirational TED talk. Choose a documentary on Netflix about something that interests you. Get a pinterest and discover your new muse. I promise you, your life becomes more full once you find your passion.

I wake up everyday excited since I’ve learned about my passion for animal rights. Indulging and learning about animal rights has lead me to become the best version of myself. I feel as though I have a purpose in life. I look forward to volunteering with animal shelters and learning as much to help our furry companions. My passion forces me to motivated each and everyday.

Keep yourself challenged and engaged. Work your brain and learn something new. Find out what sparks your interest and follow it. Stay motivated and be true to who you are and what you value. Your life will become so much brighter, I promise.