On Jan. 11 the Erie City Mission stopped their free daily bagged-lunch program due to a worker testing positive for COVID-19. The quarantining of the staff made it impossible to provide the free lunches to the public.
On Friday, the City Mission resumed the program and handed out 200 boxed lunches provided by area Subway restaurants, as well as other food items, such as milk and fruit. To put 150 to 200 lunches together every day requires quite a few hands, said Darrell Smith, 63, chief operating officer at the mission. When we stopped doing it there was some outcry. People were very concerned that they would not be able to get meals going forward. It is really good that we are able to reinstate the program and get right back to doing what we do.