On March 23, P Rudder asked, “How are you changing things, if any, during this?”

We told her we’d consulted a professor of epidemiology who said because SARS-CoV-2 can live on surfaces for days, mini pantry use carries some risk. That to mitigate risk we’d removed the Pilot’s door.

A week later, a doctor of epidemiology on the Pilot host church’s grounds crew advised we replace the door. “UV kills the virus. Birds and weather pose a greater threat,” he said. Deferring to our host, we put it back.

With expert guidance at all levels changing by the day if not the hour, all of us are adapting on the fly, doing the best we can.

If you are at increased risk for severe illness, your best is staying away from your neighborhood mini pantry. If you are under shelter-in-place orders, you might rationalize our work as essential. Or you might not. You might disinfect your neighborhood mini pantry before you use it. Or once, twice…three times a day. You might post reminders about hand-washing on the door (or walls if you removed the door). Your best might be shutting it all down until the threat passes.

We don’t know what your best is. We do know you if you are listening to scientists and following orders while taking care of yourself and others, you are doing it.