Bill Riley has already received his COVID-19 vaccine, along with several of his volunteers, but knowing the rest of the team at Saint John's Food for the Poor is eligible is an encouraging step.
Riley said, "It's so important. They feel protected, you know?"
Groups now able to make an appointment include food pantry employees and volunteers, grocery store workers, restaurant employees, and a number of other workers.
Riley calls the work he and his volunteers do essential.
"We're the only one open at seven in the morning. A lot of these people struggle and they need Saint John's," he said.
Transit and transportation employees can now be vaccinated as well.
WRTA Administrator Dennis Lipka will be getting his vaccine Tuesday, and is encouraging all WRTA employees to do the same.
He said, "We only have 85 drivers. And if there are drivers, even though we have buses, we can't put them on the road because you have to be CDL qualified, you have to have all the training. And we have a relatively experienced, knowledgeable core that knows the routes."
Lipka said ridership on buses is roughly two-thirds of what it was pre-pandemic, and vaccinating WRTA employees is also a safety measure for people using their service.
"Protecting the health of the riders has been preeminent so we can keep the service out for the riders. It's kind of a two-fold thing," Lipka said.
According to Governor Baker, an additional 850,000 Massachusetts residents are now eligible.
The newest phase helps Riley continue the work he's been doing for years.
He said, "My mission will never be completed until every homeless person or families that struggle get fed every day."
Riley said the nicer weather has brought more people down here to Saint John's Food for the Poor, and with vaccines being eligible to food pantry employees and volunteers, he's hoping he can add a few more to his staff so he can get some additional help throughout the week.
