As you know from previous communications, CommunityAid requested a waiver from the state to operate our logistics network. I am pleased to announce that at 9:00 PM Friday April 17th, we received approval of our waiver. This waiver does not include the retail side of our business. Therefore, production and retail thrift operations at the stores will remain closed. Starting this Wednesday, April 22nd, our logistics network will be operating again to support our mission to you, our partners. Drivers will be servicing our bin donation network by removing trash first, and then picking up the contents of the bins in subsequent trips. Obviously, this will take time to accomplish. We will do everything we can to reach all of our partners in a timely manner. Thank you in advance for your patience and support.
As our drivers take on the task of clean up and service, please be assured that their health and safety remains our top priority. Our employees will be provided with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to wear during their shifts, such as masks and gloves, and have been instructed to follow CommunityAid’s enhanced mandatory safety protocol. These guidelines are in alignment with current state orders.
In order to further support our drivers and staff, please do not encourage anyone to make donations at this time. Our first challenge will be cleaning up our bin network. If more donations come on top of what is already out there, it will truly make the job much harder for our drivers. The leadership team and I have a structured plan of communication and we need your help to support that messaging. As we make progress in our clean-up efforts, we will work with you to communicate our readiness to accept donations once again. For now, help us hold back the tide of donations and encourage donors to hold their donations until further notice.
