Owner of Pressed, Karie Ford started the touchless grocery pick-up service 'Goods in the Hood' almost three weeks after closing her doors due to COVID-19.

On a typical day, Pressed is a cafe and live music venue serving the Centretown West area with spruced up comfort food like their butcher block mac and cheese, beef brisket and vegan poutine.

The cafe located on Gladstone Avenue near Bronson Street is usually filled with the sound of friendly conversation and indie music, and getting a table on the weekend for brunch is nearly impossible without a wait.

With the provisions put in place by the federal and provincial governments to help stop the spread of COVID-19, that's all changed.

Pressed shut its doors on March 15 more than a week before the list of essential businesses and services was released by the Ontario government.

Owner of Pressed, Karie Ford distributed the cafe's remaining food to her staff before laying them off for an unknown period of time.

"A few days before, we started slowing down orders and lowering prices because at that time things were changing every four hours," said Ford. "We had a plan of how we were gonna go for it, and then four hours later everything was turned upside down again."

The Goods in the Hood grocery pick-up service was created out of Ford's want to help the community, which encompasses the boroughs of Chinatown and Little Italy. The neighbourhood is what most would consider up-and-coming and is known for its trendy bars, and restaurants.

Centretown West also has a number of low-income housing properties and a fairly high crime rate, which is why Ford donates $5 dollars to a local charity for each grocery purchase over $50 dollars. The charity of choice will change with each month. For April, Ford is donating the proceeds to the Ottawa Food Bank.

The exact amount of money being donated won't be available until the end of the month, but Ford thinks it's, "probably around 70 per cent of people ordering over $50 dollars."

Goods in the Hood is a touchless, cashless grocery store that allows shoppers to pick and choose fresh produce, dairy, grain, and some meat products that are handpicked by Ford and ready for pick-up twice a week. The ordering system is very grassroots. It's done online through a Google Form, and after the order is placed Ford sends each shopper an email with the total amount owed.

Payment for groceries ordered through Goods in the Hood is done via e-transfer. Orders can only be picked up at Pressed on Mondays and Fridays between the hours of 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

When an order is ready, Ford sends an email to the buyer to let them know they can come pick up their groceries from the side door of the restaurant. To follow physical distancing guidelines, customers are asked to wait two metres from the door for their order, which is then placed on a table and sanitized in between customers.

Goods in the Hood allows Ford to keep her restaurant supply chain open, make her minimum weekly orders, as well as pay for set expenses like rent and utilities. Neighbourhood residents also benefit by getting a consistent supply of fresh grocery items without having to risk their health by going to a traditional supermarket.

Right now, Ford is the only person who enters the building to ensure that the grocery preparation surface can stay properly sanitized.

"I'm working probably more than I ever have in my life just during these two day weeks but [Goods in the Hood] been really, really, really, well received," exclaims Ford. "Originally, we were going to open Goods in the Hood and keep the takeout going, but Goods in the Hood took off and I'm doing it all by myself so we had to get rid of the takeaway."

Since Pressed started build-your-own grocery baskets on April 3, it has already expanded by adding a few local meat products from Alska Farm in nearby Low, QC.

Ford is hoping to be able to hire one or two staff members back by the end of the month as ordering, dividing, and packaging the groceries is, "really like a two or three person job."

Pressed isn't the only restaurant in Ottawa to offer a build-your-own grocery basket. OCCO Kitchen in Orléans is also offering a similar program but with delivery to east end residents.

"I used to be a live music venue and a full restaurant brunch cafe, but right now I'm a grocer," Ford noted. "At the end of the day I'm very hopeful that Pressed will reopen, and in time we'll be back to having live music five nights a week."