Nobody does logistics better than the military. So when it came to a COVID-19 relief effort at the military retirement community of Indian River Colony Club, it just seemed natural for residents to spring into action when the governor of Florida ordered businesses and restaurants shuttered.
Upon hisĀ issuing of the state-wide stay-at-home order, the Viera, Florida, community of nearly 800 homes quickly created, and then supported their own COVID-19 relief effort that both benefited senior residents and protected staff jobs.
The busy At Ease Club restaurant quickly retooled its processes for takeout only. Using the lunch menu as a foundation and adding an entree “special,” the club now prepares and boxes up between 170 and 200 takeout meals daily.
That number swelled on Easter, when 385 special holiday meals were prepared to order, boxed and bagged and staged for car and golf cart pickup. Send me more information about Indian River Colony Club
COVID-19 Relief – Grocery Shopping, Too
Resident Pat Fuller picks up her Easter take-out meals.
A second and particularly innovative program for the golf course community was devised by Club Manager, Thomas Shonkwiler. He createdĀ a grocery menu for the new At Ease Post Exchange (PX) which allows residents to avoid grocery store shopping and stay sheltered at home.
Neighborhood members simply place their orders for more than 30 popular grocery items that include chicken breasts, steak, luncheon meats, cheese, eggs, soft drinks, snacks and even beer and wine.
The orders are filled and bagged by restaurant employees and organized for next day pickup in a car and golf cart line.
Together, the lunch and dinner takeout program and the Post Exchange grocery program have helped minimize exposure to the COVID-19 virus for residents, while safeguarding the jobs of the club staff.
Indian River Colony Club has 94 total employees, including 21 kitchen, wait and bar staff. A disproportionate number of restaurant and hospitality staff workers are among the hundreds of thousands of unemployment claims filed in Florida since the onset of the Corona virus outbreak. But there are none from Indian River Colony Club.
Residents Give Thanks
Indian River Colony Club resident, Sally Grissom is grateful for the ways in which the community food service workers are keeping the neighborhood safe.
āThe club is offering a pretty extensive list of groceries for residents to purchase so that we can avoid the grocery stores,” said Grissom. “They had over 100 grocery orders in the first two days! Between the At Ease Club Post Exchange grocery orders and all of the daily lunch and dinner takeout meals, we have kept all of our staff on the payroll. They are doing so much to help us and the residents here couldn’t be happier.āĀ Ā Send me more information about Indian River Colony Club
