To Our Members & Community,

In the interest of transparency, we wanted to inform you that yesterday afternoon (Thursday October 14) we learned that an employee from our store tested positive for Covid-19.  

This employee works in the Produce department, so we are being extra vigilant since they have had contact with the public. They last worked at the co-op on Tuesday October 12 and are self-quarantining at home as recommended by their healthcare professional. To our knowledge, the employee has not exhibited symptoms while at work, and very likely contacted the virus outside of the store.

As an added precaution we’ve done extra cleaning and sanitation in that area of the store. We have also identified all staff members who may have been in close contact with the affected person, and we are supporting those employees as they self-monitor. At this time we believe this is an isolated case and there is no communal spread in the store. 

We are encouraging anyone with concerns to contact their healthcare professional and get tested when appropriate. As part of our daily Covid-19 screening practices we ask that any employee who exhibits symptoms to stay home, contact our HR department, and notify their physician. Our co-op has a generous sick leave and vacation policy, and we are working with staff members on a case-by-case basis to ensure they have the support they need. 

Our co-op prides itself on its cleanliness, social distancing, and safety standards, and we are taking multiple steps to best serve you, care for our staff, and be a responsible member of our community. 

• Employees are required to wear masks inside the store.
• Our staff self-monitor for symptoms and do not come to work if they are sick.
• All employees are asked to maintain a 6-foot distance from customers and coworkers.
• We practice social distancing in our work areas and have installed reminders throughout the store.
• We have installed extra sanitizer stations for staff and customers throughout the store, and encourage good hygiene and frequent hand-washing. 
• We’ve installed plexiglas safety barriers at our registers, and marked off spaces on the floor to help everyone maintain a safe social distance.

If you have any further questions, please contact us at info@littletoncoop.org.

Our Management Team recently met to discuss a plan for lifting the store’s COVID restrictions, including our current mask policy. We have been continually monitoring NH State and CDC guidelines, as well as the latest COVID-19 case counts and hospitalization data for our market area. Overall, we have seen a steady decline in COVID numbers in our region, as more and more of the local population is vaccinated. Currently, 75.5% of the staff here at the Co-op have been vaccinated, which is a milestone we are quite proud of. 

We also discussed feedback from employees, customers, and other members of our community, and as usual, the perspectives vary widely. Some urged us to end restrictions immediately or very soon, while others felt it was important to wait longer. From these conversations it is clear that some of us need time to adjust to changes in our policies. We hope to proceed in a way that is not only transparent, but also allows our customers, employees, vendors to feel comfortable here at the Co-op. 

With these things in mind, we felt it was important to give the community notice of our change in policy. As of July 2 2021, we will be relaxing our mask policy for customers as well as employees. As of that date, anyone who has been vaccinated is not required to wear a mask at the Co-op. We are encouraging anyone who is unvaccinated or has health or safety concerns to continue to wear a mask. We offer our online Curbside Pickup service for those who are unable to shop in person.

On July 2 we also plan on re-opening our Cafe space to the community, and we will also resume our regular in-store tastings, classes, and events. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to host these kinds of activities, and we’re really looking forward to reinstating that vibrant, busy, community-minded atmosphere in our Co-op.

As always, thank you for your support and your cooperation!

To Our Members & Community,

In the interest of transparency, we wanted to inform you that on the evening of Monday, December 28, we learned that a staff member from our store tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).  

Upon learning of the result, we spoke with our local health department. We immediately performed additional sanitizing and disinfecting procedures in all areas of the store where that employee had worked. This employee works in the Pricing and Receiving department and has minimal contact with the public; they last worked at the co-op on Wednesday, December 23, and are self-quarantining at home as recommended by their healthcare professional. To our knowledge, the employee never exhibited symptoms while at work and had minimal contact with customers and other employees.

The Littleton Food Co-op has identified all staff members who may have been in close contact with the affected person and is supporting these employees as they self-monitor, although at this time we believe this is an isolated case and there is no communal spread in the store. Our co-op has a generous sick and vacation policy, and we are working with staff members on a case-by-case basis to ensure they have the support they need. Across our co-op as part of our regular policy, we ask that any staff exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness or fever stay home, contact our HR department, and notify their physician.

Our co-op prides itself on its cleanliness and food safety standards, and we are taking multiple steps to best serve you, care for our staff, and be a responsible member of our community. We have implemented rigorous daily cleaning practices throughout our store.  Since March, every other hour each department performs a sanitation rotation, disinfecting all common touch areas in all parts of the store.  Each night, a professional store-wide disinfection is done by our janitorial services to all common touch areas, shopping carts, offices, electronics and floors.  

Furthermore:

• All staff members are pre-screened for temperature and symptoms daily before work
• All staff self-monitor themselves throughout the day and stay/go home if sick
• All employees are required to wear masks (worn correctly, fitting tightly to the face and under the chin) at all times
• All employees are asked to maintain 6-foot social distancing from others
• All common areas such as offices, bathrooms, and shared electronic equipment are disinfected and cleaned routinely every day.

To learn more about the steps we are taking, please visit  www.littletoncoop.com/covid19.

If you have any further questions, please contact us at info@littletoncoop.org.

Thank you!

Here is a list of links and resources we’ve collected to help people in our community who have been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. We’ll update this post with new information and links as we find them.

General Assistance

Dial 2-1-1 if you have questions or concerns surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak. This free statewide information and referral service is operated by Granite United Way. They have also provided us with free masks to give away to the community – just ask at the Service Desk!

Civic Info Pages

GoLittleton.com
Bethlehem Select Board News
Littleton Chamber of Commerce
Lisbon
Franconia
Whitefield
Dalton

Food Pantries

Littleton Food Pantry: 70 Redington Street, Littleton
Little Free Pantry: 189 Main St, Littleton (in front of the Congregational Church)
All Saints’ Community Food Cupboard: 35 School Street, Littleton
Good Neighbor Food Pantry: 44 Church Street, Franconia
Bethlehem Food Pantry: 2155 Main Street, Bethlehem (inside Town Hall, open by appointment)
Lincoln-Woodstock Food Pantry: 194 Pollard Rd, Lincoln

Food Access Map

UNH Extension has created an interactive online map with local resources and information for those in need as well as those who would like to donate or volunteer.

Recovery Support

AskPETRA.org is your free and confidential guide to North Country resources for daily needs, Substance Use Disorder treatment and recovery options. During the COVID-19 outbreak, our helpline is open to connect anyone in the Northern NH to local resources for daily basic needs.

Q: Is the Co-op planning on offering a Senior-only shopping time?

A: We take the well-being of our senior customers very seriously. In our management meetings we have discussed the idea of setting up a dedicated shopping time for seniors, but we decided that for the health and safety of our older and vulnerable customers it would be dangerous and inappropriate to encourage elderly people to congregate in our store.

If you or someone you know needs help with shopping, please reach out to bcolpitts@littletoncoop.org. Our Community Outreach Coordinator, Becky Colpitts, can try to put you in touch with community resources for volunteers and services. You can also contact the 211 hotline for Granite State United Way to find assistance.

Q: Can the Co-op offer pick-up, delivery, or curbside service?

A: We now offer a Curbside Pickup service for seniors, people who are highly vulnerable to COVID 19, or people who are sick and staying isolated. You may place an order online or by phone, and come pick your order up outside of the store.

Again, if you or someone you know needs help with shopping, please reach out to bcolpitts@littletoncoop.org. Our Community Outreach Coordinator, Becky Colpitts, can try to put you in touch with community resources for volunteers and services. You can also contact the 211 hotline for Granite State United Way to find assistance.

Q: Are you limiting the number of customers in the store?

A: We’re limiting the number of shopping carts that are available at the store entry area, thereby limiting the number of customers in the store at any given time. We count the number of shoppers in the store at frequently throughout the day to monitor capacity.  We’re also restricting our entrance and exit areas so they are one-way.

Please help us reduce traffic in the store by shopping alone. Leave your children at home if you are able to do so, and refrain from bringing your spouse or family members with you.

Q: Can you make the aisles one-way?

A: We’ve talked about that option extensively with our staff and managers, and we decided it’s not a good fit for the store at this time. The consensus among our staff is that it’s much quicker to skip the busy aisles and loop around to come back. If we set up traffic rules not only would we have a difficult time enforcing them, but it would also cause major backups and pinch points.  Our Co-op has many narrow corners and differently-facing aisles, so letting shoppers choose the path of least resistance will allow for a quicker, safer shopping trip, especially when armed with our store map and a plan.

Q: Why aren’t all the employees wearing gloves?

A: Gloves are not a substitute for hand washing or regular hand sanitation, and can pick up and transfer the virus just as easily as bare skin. Gloves are not meant to be worn for an extended period of time, since they can cause cross contamination if they are not changed almost constantly. We wear gloves in our food service areas and our bulk department, as part of our regular food safety protocols. Our staff have the option of wearing gloves for their own protection but they are not required to do so.

Q: Should I wear gloves when I shop?

A: If you would like to wear gloves when you shop you are welcome to do so. Please remember that gloves transfer virus just as easily as bare skin, and you should still avoid touching your face or any items you do not intend to purchase.  Disposable gloves are available in the Bulk Department for your use at any time.  They are required for customers using the bulk scoop and gravity bins, but you may use them elsewhere in the store as well if you wish.

We’d appreciate it if you’d put on a clean pair of gloves or sanitize your hands (at the sanitizer station on the inner door) before you enter the store, so that you don’t inadvertently bring the virus into our community. Also, please dispose of your gloves properly when you leave; use a trash receptacle and do not discard used gloves on the ground or in the grocery carts.  There is a trash receptacle in the exit, near the entrance, and at the cart corral for this use.

Q: Should I wear a mask when I shop?

A: The CDC recommends that people wear masks when in public, to protect the community from asymptomatic transmission. The State of New Hampshire requests that customers wear face coverings at all times when inside a retail establishment.  Please wear a mask when you come to the co-op.  If you forget your mask, we will provide a free one to you!  Just ask at the service desk and one of our friendly associates will get you one.  We do apologize it is a bit of a walk from the entrance, but we wanted to make sure these were kept in a safe, sanitary location.

Q: May I still bring my reusable bags to the store?

A: UPDATE Aug 2020: Yes, you may bring your clean reusable bags to the store. Please bag your own groceries at the register. We also have paper bags for 10 cents each, as well as complimentary grocery boxes for you to pack your purchase in.