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The Albert Lea Salvation Army is serving about double the people it typically would this time of year at its daily meal site as the area sees many people laid off work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Salvation Army Maj. Sandy Hunt said the organization’s staff on Monday prepared sandwiches for 100 adults and 25 children and gave out 113 by the end of its distribution.

This is up from the about 50 to 60 people it would serve each day at its hot meal site before Gov. Tim Walz’s order limited dine-in eating at various establishments to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The organization now serves either sandwiches or wraps outdoors, and the to-go meals are served out of the Salvation Army canteen, keeping in mind social distancing guidelines, Hunt said.

She said people are still asked to sign in for records purposes but are asked to use sanitizer after doing so. The sidewalk is marked so people are appropriately spaced out while waiting to get their food.

“People have been pretty good about following our directions and waiting patiently in line,” she said.

In addition to the meal site, the Salvation Army continues to provide families food from the organization’s food pantry, which she said has seen many new faces the last few weeks.

“We’re anticipating that we’re probably going to be giving out a lot more food baskets this month,” she said.

Staff are allowing people to come to the food pantry more than once a month, especially for families who are not working at this time, and she said people have been thankful for the support.

The organization continues to offer other support for the county’s residents and noted that Minnesota residents cannot be evicted or have their power shut off at this time.

“As soon as they lift that ban, we know we’re going to get hit with a lot of requests for assistance,” she said.

With the temporary closing of the Salvation Army thrift store — which raises about one-third of the organization’s operating income — she said she anticipates their budget will be greatly impacted down the line. Because of that, their main focus at this time is on safety, security and food.

She asked the community to consider supporting the Salvation Army’s efforts through donations and noted that unspecified donations help them put the money toward the greatest need.

The March Minnesota Food Share campaign has also been extended through the end of April, allowing people more time to donate nonperishable food items or funds to support and receive a proportional match back to the food shelf.