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Like restaurants, the St. Augustine Hunger Center 鈥� which gives away hundreds of free meals every day, even in a 鈥渘ormal鈥� year 鈥� has been forced to make some major adjustments through the coronavirus pandemic. 

St. Augustine Hunger Center鈥檚 new COVID-19 guidelines, requiring face coverings, gloves and temperature checks, didn鈥檛 deter Eric McMillon, who is volunteering for the 19th straight year.

鈥淓verybody needs somebody鈥檚 help, no matter what. So if I can give back to the community and I ain鈥檛 doing nothing, I鈥檒l do it," McMillon said.

Betty and Gene Hanzely from North Olmsted are in their 20th year of volunteering. Face coverings weren鈥檛 a problem for them either. 

鈥淚 like to do this,鈥� Gene Hanzely said. 鈥淭hese people here, they鈥檙e great people. And Sister Corita and Father Joe 鈥� I do anything for those guys."

Betty and Gene Hanzely didn't mind wearing masks to keep up their volunteering tradition at the St. Augustine Hunger Center . [Gabriel Kramer / ideastream]

Sister Corita Ambro and Father Joseph McNulty have been managing the hunger center and providing free meals to those in need for decades.

And they don鈥檛 take this pandemic lightly.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want these people to get sick either,鈥� Ambro said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 anybody to get sick and the only way we can keep them healthy is by following the rules that are there. The masks, the distance, and the food 鈥� it鈥檚 important for them to eat.鈥�

Until last week, the hunger center eliminated indoor seating, with very few exceptions. That meant packing up more meals for pickup or contactless delivery. The Tremont center has been serving about 700 people per day lately, McNulty said, a few hundred more would usually be served in person.

Luis Gonzalez is the director of the St. Augustine Hunger Center and also cooks some of the meals. The atmosphere there this year is quite different than years past, he said.

"Not a lot of people around. We don't get to see everybody like we usually do," Gonzalez said. "We can't just stop feeding the people. We got too many homeless people out here that have a hard time getting meals."

Patrick Branaghan started coming to the hunger center for meals after the pandemic began and said he's thankful it has stayed open for takeout and delivery.

"I appreciate it most kindly, a nice hot meal," Branaghan said. "I'm a disabled vet and it's hard for me to get around the house, so making a meal is hard for me, so it makes it much better."

The St. Augustine Hunger Center has mostly offered meals through pickup or delivery services this year because of the pandemic. [Gabriel Kramer / ideastream]

The pandemic has left the hunger center with far fewer volunteers this year, McNulty said. He鈥檚 hoping to find more heading into Thanksgiving, when St. Augustine is projected to serve about 17,000 meals.

鈥淣o matter what your religious background is on Thanksgiving Day, we all give thanks to God in this country. Most of us try to do it in some way with our families,鈥� McNulty said.  鈥淲e look upon the poor community, the people in need, as part of our family.鈥� 

As winter approaches, the hunger center has opened some indoor seating spaces for those who really need it, though strict distancing is enforced.

On Thanksgiving Day, the center can make up to nine locations 鈥� some off site 鈥� available for indoor dining. But that would still seat fewer people than they do on a normal Thanksgiving. 

Ambro one adjustment was tougher than any of the new protocols 鈥� tougher than less seating, fewer volunteers and masks.

鈥淚鈥檓 a hugger and on Thanksgiving Day I can鈥檛 hug people,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ugs say something nothing else can say. It鈥檚 going to be different for me, but as long as we鈥檙e still feeding them and they鈥檙e grateful 鈥� and they are 鈥� I have no worries.鈥�

After the New Year, McNulty plans to as pastor of St. Augustine Parish 鈥� a role he's held since 1977. But even in retirement, he said he will continue to stay busy with the church and the hunger center.