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The parking lot at Catholic Charities Mary Martha Outreach in Bartlesville fills up day after day with those looking for food during the coronavirus pandemic. Approximately 4,500 meals to individuals have been distributed during the crisis by the group.

Executive Director Misty Wishall said they have also been able to assist other local agencies through the crisis.

This includes the Boys & Girls Club of Bartlesville, the Salvation Army, and Bartlesville Nutrition. City Church also received some food, and they were able to feed around 600 people.

Wishall said Catholic Charities Mary Martha Outreach is proud of their ability to ramp up their outsourcing and community collaboration. She said their food pantry is open from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Monday through Wednesday, and Thursdays from noon to 2:00 p.m. They will be closed for the Easter holiday on Monday.

Anyone who needs food at this time will not be turned down. Typically people are required to bring in documentation to sign-up and make sure they fall within the poverty guidelines. But during these uncertain times, people are unemployed or they are not getting their full paycheck.

Even if you are not a client at Catholic Charities Mary Martha Outreach, Wishall said you can drop by because they want to help you through your struggles. She said all you have to do is come by, and write on a piece of paper or crack a window to tell their volunteers who you are and who you need food for. Even if you are getting food for a neighbor who cannot get out of their home at this time, you are welcome to the charity's food.

Volunteers in other departments have moved to the food department. In a way, it is all hands on deck to get the food lines moving during their days of operation. With that in mind, volunteers continue to wear their protective gear and they are practicing social distancing.

Wishall said the scanners at Mary Martha Outreach can scan through windows, so contact with clients has been reduced significantly. She said clients can hold up their scannable cards when they go through the drive-thru to be scanned.

They also ask that those coming to get food to have their trunks cleared so volunteers can drop food off in the back of the vehicle. This is also in an effort to reduce contact with those coming to get food.