WHY IS MARTHA’S CLOSED SO OFTEN LATELY?
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You may have noticed that Martha’s is closed more often than we used to be.
We apologize for these inconveniences but, unfortunately, we often have little to no control over the issues that cause these closures, as they are issues of health and safety. We appreciate your patience as we work to find a solution for these disruptions.
Since February 2026, when it was decided that we move the location of our distribution from inside the pantry garage, to outside and onto the far side of the parking lot, many things have changed.
The result is that we are now forced to operate our Weekly Outdoor Distributions in the middle of whatever weather we are experiencing. This can sometimes make for a dangerous environment for many of our elderly staff and volunteers, as well as you, our guests.
The health and safety of everyone involved with Martha’s is our top priority, and this new Outdoor Distribution model requires that we sometimes close in order to better protect our staff, guests and volunteers.
Our intention, as it has always been, is to provide consistent high quality and dignified access to food for our community, with the kind of service we would provide to our own families.
WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO FIND A SOLUTION TO THE EXTREME WEATHER CLOSURES THAT ARE DISRUPTING OUR HOURS.
POTENTIAL CAUSES OF CLOSURE
THUNDER & LIGHTNING:
We are ALWAYS closed whenever there is thunder or lightning.
Why? Because our tents are made of aluminum and steel and can act as lightning rods that can quickly and easily cause great bodily harm to anyone standing near them. We cannot and will not take the risk of anyone being struck by lightning. If you hear thunder or see lightning, please assume we are closed. Always.
HIGH WINDS:
We are occasionally forced to close during high winds.
Why? Because these large tents of ours act as sails and can get violently picked up and carried by wind, often without warning, even when held down by heavyweight anchors. This can easily cause great harm to both cars and people, and we cannot and will not take this risk. If it’s really windy, please check to make sure we are open and pay attention to our texting service to see if we’ve announced a closure.
EXTREME HEAT:
On days when it’s over 90, we must be very thoughtful of being open.
Why? Because extreme heat and humidity can cause heatstroke and death. Please understand that not only are we operating our Outdoor Distribution in the extreme heat itself, for 4-5 hours at a time, but we are doing so on top of an unshaded blacktop, surrounded by the fumes of 20-30 cars. This adds even more heat to an already extreme situation, making the heat index close to 120 degrees. This is considered an “extreme” heat danger by every metric of public health safety available. This kind of heat can cause great bodily harm and death, especially for our elderly volunteers and guests, of which there are many. We must protect the health and safety of everyone at Martha’s, and so we cannot take this risk.
EXTREME COLD
Extreme ice and cold can be just as dangerous as extreme heat!
When it is significantly below freezing, we need to consider the health and safety of the hundreds of people who make Martha’s work. That includes you!
HOLIDAYS
Martha’s is closed for all Federal Holidays as well as several Catholic Holidays throughout the year.
Our guests and volunteers mean the world to us, and we do everything we can to provide our community as much food as possible. However, we cannot and will not do so at the risk of the health of the very people who work tirelessly, day after day, week after week, to make it happen.
We appreciate your understanding.
TO BE ALERTED OF ALL CLOSURES: We notify our guests of closures through our texting service. To sign up for our texting service, please text the word apple to (855) 499-2174
TO CALL OUR SITE: Please call 610-279-7372
