The past year living with COVID has truly been a testament to the resilience, ingenuity, and creativity of our communities. At CAP and Prism Health, we have worked tirelessly to continue to provide compassionate and affirming critical client services, primary care, and behavioral health in a way that is safe for both us and our clients. From virtual events and tele-health to COVID testing and vaccination, we have pivoted to provide for our clients and community where they need us most. Today we get a chance to chat with CAP’s Housing Navigation Team Lead, Meghan Von Tersch, to discuss some of the ways CAP has grappled with these challenges over the course of the pandemic and how partnering with another HIV/AIDS organization on the food box program was a key piece of that strategy!

Q: Hi Meghan, welcome! Can you tells us a little about yourself and what you do at CAP? 
A: My name is Meghan and I’m currently our Housing Navigation Team Lead, but I started at CAP a little over 4 years ago as a Housing Case Manager. I first learned about CAP at PSU during my Human Sexualities class. Longtime volunteer John Motter came in to speak about his life, his HIV status, living through the beginning of the epidemic and how much CAP changed his life. Ever since that day I knew I wanted to work at CAP and be a part of this community. In my current role, I oversee our Navigation program, manage our shelter bed programs, provide case coverage for Housing Case Managers when they’re out of the office, and run our food box program.

Q: How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact your work at CAP, and what are some ways you have pivoted to continue to provide these critical services? 
A: COVID really changed everything. The nature of CAP is being a safe space for clients to drop in and get their needs met. With CAP being closed, we had to completely pivot the way we offer services and fight to make sure clients didn’t fall through the cracks. We were able to purchase phones and phone plans for clients that didn’t have one and therefor couldn’t communicate with their providers, housing case managers or friends. We did socially distanced meetings on the sidewalk instead of going into people’s homes. Instead of driving someone to the hospital we would drive to their home, pay for a taxi to take them there and follow behind to meet them there instead. Some clients want nothing to do with technology, so that piece was a bit tricky. But all in all, I think we made it work. We were also able to open on Tuesdays and Thursdays for drop in services like using phones, computers, meeting with case managers, etc. We also got additional funding to provide things we haven’t been able to in the past: solar phone chargers, tents, sleeping bags, tarps, clothes, flash lights, hygiene backpacks, etc. And finally, the biggest change was the start of food boxes.

Q: I know food boxes have been a huge part of CAP’s pandemic services. Can you tell me more about how that program started? 
A: Since our clients are immunocompromised, leaving the house to get groceries or taking public transit became very risky. Food insecurity, in general, is always an issue with our clients, but it increased tenfold with COVID. Esther’s Pantry is amazing and provides clients with an unbelievable amount of food, but it’s also located out in Milwaukie so getting there can be a barrier for clients. We were hearing over and over again that clients were having trouble accessing food, so the relationship between CAP & Our House of Portland (OHOP) was born! Another driving factor was the increased amount of clients in medical motels. At certain points, we had 20-30 clients in medical motels at one time, so being able to deliver food to them once a week was imperative in keeping them safe and healthy.

Q: What has it been like to work with the folks at Esther’s Pantry on this food box program? 
A: Amazing, Brent and his team have been a godsend to our clients! At times, they were putting together 70-80 food boxes for us on top of boxes for other agencies and they always did it with a joke or a smile. Working out the referral system at first was a process, but they never once complained and now it’s working like a well-oiled machine. 

Q: From the sound of it, volunteers have been incredibly important to the success of the food box program. Can you tell me a little more about working with the volunteers and their impact on CAP clients? 
A: CAP volunteers have kept this program running over the last year. Every week, we have a mix of CAP staff and CAP volunteers delivering 70 boxes, and we would have never been able to keep this program running on CAP staff alone. Because we deliver on Wednesday afternoons from 2:30-6:30, CAP staff are often busy with clients, and we rely heavily on outside volunteers. A lot of time our volunteers end up being a middle man between the client and their case manager; we frequently get messages like “Joe was home and mentioned he also needed XYZ,” and that information is relayed to their case manager so they can assist.

Q: What has been the reception and impact of the food box program on clients? 
A: Clients have been so thankful for this program over the last year. In a time where everything is unknown and constantly changing, knowing that you will receive a food box every other week has been huge. Not only are they confident they’ll have enough food for the month, but it was also a way to have a little bit of one-on-one interaction for a lot of clients that have been isolated during the pandemic. Food boxes also acted as a vector for other items to be delivered - we’ve included phones in boxes for clients that are having trouble communicating with their case managers, notes from medical case managers that have been unable to reach clients, paperwork that Housing Case Managers need signed, and tents/tarps/sleeping bags for clients timing out of their medical motels.

Q: What’s next for the food box delivery program going forward into year 2? 
A: Now that access to the vaccine is starting to open up, we’re planning on scaling back just a bit. With CAP opening 4 days a week (including Wednesdays), that drops the number of volunteers we’ll have. So, we’re switching to a monthly delivery model vs bi-weekly. Housed clients will receive a food box delivery once a month, and our medical motel clients will still receive a delivery every week since their boxes are much smaller as they only have access to a mini-fridge and microwave. We’ve started notifying clients of that change this week, and so far, the responses have all been positive! Luckily, Esther’s Pantry has agreed to let clients drop in on their own 1 additional time per month to get another box if they have the ability to get out there. We’re able to provide bus tickets to clients having transportation issues and referrals to other food pantries closer to clients if that’s an easier option for them.  

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? 
A: We’re always looking for more volunteers! We meet at Esther’s Pantry at 2pm every Wednesday, and the delivery window is 2:30-6:30pm. It’s rare that you’ll be out that late but it’s the window we ask clients to be home just in case. We’re following all COVID safety protocol, and it’s a great way to engage with our clients during a time that human interaction is so sparse.

Q: If someone has questions regard the food box program or would like to become a volunteer, who should they contact? 
A: They can contact me via email (mvontersch@capnw.org) or phone (971-303-8612) or Hanna Gustafson (hgustafson@capnw.org or 503-512-0595)