To all Vetri Community Partnership Stakeholders, Donors and Partners:

I wanted to update you on Vetri Community Partnership’s (VCP) preparation and plan regarding the COVID-19 situation. As you are all well aware, the Coronavirus is presenting the world and our region with a rare public health challenge. We are monitoring the situation carefully and are keeping close tabs on the CDC, the School District of Philadelphia and the City of Philadelphia directives.

Our first priority is the well-being and safety of our staff. They are aware of and are following all of the protocols concerning self-care including hand washing, social distancing etc. We have a Business Continuity Plan in place and all full-time staff have the ability to work from home if need be.

As a community-based organization however, most of our work takes place in schools and other community-based locations such as farmer’s markets and clubs. We are committed to doing our part to help mitigate the problem, while protecting the health of all of our stakeholders.

Effective as of today:
1- We will be postponing our Eat to Empower Dinner Series and Food Festival that was scheduled for April 25. We expect to announce a new fall date for these exciting events shortly.

2- The Mobile Teaching Kitchen will not participate in any visits out in the community where crowds of over 25 people are expected. This moratorium is in effect until March 27th and will be re-evaluated at that time.

3- EAT 360 and Vetri Cooking Lab programs will continue to run in schools that are open, taking direction from the School District of Philadelphia or relevant Charter network. As of today, 63 Philadelphia schools have closed and we have programs in 8 of them. We expect school closings to escalate and will continue to monitor the situation and react accordingly.

4- Culinary Medicine workshops will continue if participation is under 25 people per session.

5- VCP’s office at 211 N. 13th Street will remain open until further notice. We are confident that all employees are following the appropriate protocols that we have put in place.

It is an understatement to say that these are challenging times. I want to thank all of you for your support of Vetri Community Partnership. We could not do this work without you and are grateful to have you by our side during this very difficult time for our country.

The situation is constantly evolving, and I will update you as necessary.
Again, we appreciate you and your support.

Best,
Marlene L. Olshan
CEO