Old Neighborhood Hosts Clinic to Vaccinate Employees

LYNN — Old Neighborhood Foods hosted its first of two vaccination clinics Friday for employees and their families at the company’s Waterhill Street headquarters. Andrew Demakes, director of operations for Old Neighborhood Foods, said he hopes the centralized vaccination location will ease the nerves and hesitancy of employees. “There’s just been a lot of people that have been nervous and apprehensive about getting the shot,” he said. “That’s the feedback that I’ve been getting talking to people.” He said the goal of the clinics is to centralize the process, while also offering a $100 bonus to entice people to get the vaccine. “We’re trying to get everybody on board with getting vaccinated and through what everybody’s gone through, we thought it would be a nice idea to say ‘hey, if you get vaccinated there’s a little bonus at the end of there,” Demakes said. In an effort to make the process convenient for everyone, Demakes said the company is trying to schedule production around the clinic, which ran from 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday. Having the vaccinations at the end of the day was planned out of caution, since Demakes said they didn’t know how people would react to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. “We’re giving certain departments off, just in case, so they’re not going to have to take off a day of work,” he said. Old Neighborhood Foods is a manufacturer that offers a range of deli products packaged and distributed to stores and supermarkets. That industry has faced a lot of backlash throughout the pandemic regarding working in close quarters, Demakes said. “We want to make sure that everyone is taken care of,” he said. Lynn Community Health Center provided assistance with setting up the clinic. The health center will receive about a couple hundred doses for each clinic. ...