Dear Friends and Partners,
This is the July 26th update of
Wright County’s Care and Nutrition Partnership Support for Seniors (60+).
We are starting our 19th week of response to COVID-19 and since March 30th
the Partnership has received 1,332 Senior Nutrition Support Requests.
Wright County Community Action (WCCA) has a support line for seniors; please
encourage seniors to call (320) 963-6500 Ext. 274. As a community, we want to help with our
most vulnerable neighbors’ challenges, including isolation and the impact that
results, assistance with grocery access through education, grocery delivery,
senior mobile food shelf needs, frozen meal support, prescription access, and
needs like housekeeping, chores, and other logistical issues as they present.
Wright County COVID-19 IMPACT
As
of July 23rd we have 664 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wright County. This measurement
began March 13th of this year. This is a 15% growth or a total of 88 new confirmed cases just
since last week. Fortunately, cases over 70 years of age have fallen as a
percentage of all cases confirmed from 9.39% reported
last week to 8.58% this
week. Keep up the good work, seniors!!
The
fastest growth in the number of COVID-19 cases last week by age spiked with our
young adults age 20-29 in the County. This age group had the greatest
increase from 17.82% of
total cases last week to 18.98% of
total cases this week. About 24 of the 88 new COVID-19 cases, or just over 27%, appeared in this 20-29 age
group, as compared to only 3 cases in people over 70 years of age. Here is the Wright County
Trend chart from the last two weeks illustrating this significant spike. Please feel free to forward
this information—maybe it will remind us all to do more CARE calls to check in on
our seniors.
Week of 7-16-20
Week of 7-23-20
Wright County Minnesota Coronavirus Confirmed Cases
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/52d559cfbe6e4ca39558c9b2f877e144
If
you haven’t talked to your senior family member or friend lately, please give
them a call to see how they are - they need to hear from you!
Shout-out to Strategic Partners
Untiedt’s
Vegetable Farm and Family really came out in force this week.
Thanks Farmer Jerry Undtiedt, Megan Dallmann, and the whole
Untiedt Family and TEAM!
WCCA Transport headed to the Food Shelves, Senior Frozen Meals,
and Food Security Partners
What
a family tradition and community giving spirit! Starting this legacy
almost 50 years ago in 1971, Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm founded by Sue and Jerry
Untiedt produces over 50 different fruits and vegetables sold at Garden
Centers, Vegetable Stands, and Pop-up Farmers markets literally all across
Wright County and the Twin Cities metro area. Untiedt’s employs over 100 people
and has farm fresh products for all seasons including fresh spring flowers,
fruits and vegetables, and many fall decorative items. They are providing
fresh farm products across the area including:
Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm products
Untiedt’s
making a difference in local food security this week
Harvesting Sweet Corn - not work for light-weights
We
are all so proud of this local family owned farm that believes in sharing their
knowledge, technology, and bounty with their neighbors in need.
“What an
abundant blessing sharing wonderful vegetables with our neighbors. Thank you
for your generous hearts.”
- Pastor
Cathy Jones, Our Father’s Lutheran Church, Rockford
“We are pleased that we are able to play a small part with WCCA in extending the reach
of bringing food resources to people in need in our communities. The additional
produce supply from Untiedt's family is a plus for all our area food shelves.”
- Fred
Naaktgeboren, Buffalo Food Shelf
“When
we brought the beautiful corn, potatoes, peppers, and zucchini into our food
shelf this week thrilled not only our clients but also our volunteers. We
were sure to tell everyone it was donated by Untiedt’s. The clients
couldn’t afford to buy this beautiful produce from their stands so were very
grateful. We told everyone what an incredible and generous donation this
produce that’s fresher than some grocery stores…”
- Jean Edskomoroh, Annandale Food Shelf
One of Untiedt Family’s Special Ways of Paying it Forward
July 24th Untietd’s Vegetable Farm food distributed
across Wright County
Big Lake Food Shelf Volunteers
Buffalo Food Shelf – Fred Naaktgeboren
Grace Place - Fresh Produce Drop in Montrose
Grace Place Fresh Produce Drop Volunteers
The
Untiedts are proving every day how fitting their “We Grow For You” logo truly
fits their mission with an extra measure of community giving shining
through. Truly one of Wright County’s gems providing a great family
tradition! Learn more about Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm – their Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, and all the locations where you can get
farm fresh product à http://www.untiedtswegrowforyou.com
Please let us
know if there are other food security partners that we are not reaching with
these vegetables.
If
you or a potential partner would like to help expand this resource to our
seniors expressly on Highway 12, please consider donating to the “COVID-19 Food” fund at the Delano Loretto
Area United Way:
Write
a check to: Delano Loretto Area United Way
In
the memo line, write: “COVID-19 Food.”
Mail
to:
P.O. Box 578
Delano, MN 55328
Or
visit the Delano Loretto Area United Way Website http://www.delanolorettouw.org/ and click “Donate” -- donations via credit card or PayPal (click on “write a
note”, write “COVID-19 Food”)
If
you want to target expansion of frozen meal delivery in other parts of Wright
County including the Highway 55 corridor and I-94 corridor, please consider
donating to the “COVID-19 Food” fund at Wright County Community Action:
Write
a check to: Wright County Community Action
In
the memo line, write: “COVID-19 Food.”
Mail
to:
P.O. Box 787
Maple Lake, MN 55358
Or
visit the Wright County Community Action Agency Website (dedicate to: “COVID-19 Food”) https://www.wccaweb.com
The
entire community of Wright County is in this together! (see current partner
list below)
Thankful,
Jay
Weatherford
WCCA
Executive Director
For more information for Wright County senior
support services:
or
or
call:
(320) 963-6500 Ext
274 – Aging Program Manager - Eric Nagel
(320) 963-6500 Ext 241 – Dispatch
1-800-333-2433 – Senior LinkAge Line
Delivered Frozen Meal Program(s) – WCCA at (320) 963-6500 Ext 274 or Catholic Charities Meals on Wheels program located in Maple
Lake: (320) 963-5771, Annandale: (320) 274-3891 and Buffalo: (763) 682-6036
To volunteer:
Contact (320) 963-6500 Ext. 225 –– Jen Liebeck jliebeck@wccaweb.com
New
Partner and First Time Reader Overview
Farmers: food shelfs and senior programs can use
your support. Please share this email with your Wright County
farmer friends potentially able to contribute, or other Food Security Partners
that could use this produce to support their efforts. For large
donations, WCCA will use its resources to make distributions happen.
Again, going forward we hope to expand this list of local food security
recipients that could use fresh vegetables when they become available. If you
are serving local individuals at no cost and would like to be included in this
potential fresh vegetable distribution opportunity, please email me a cell
phone number to text. When an opportunity arises, a rapid response will
be needed. Based on a first come first serve distribution and
availability, Wright County Community Action will do our best to share these
resources as they come in and deliver them to partner locations.
Partner support
·
Second Harvest – free
and reduced cost bulk raw food products for frozen meal production.
·
Local Farmers –
Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm – contributing produce for senior meal support and
local food security needs.
·
Waverly Café - ingenuity
and giving spirit including their PPP loan directed at paying their staff to
produce senior meals, catering expertise, and use of their commercial kitchen.
·
Catholic Charities
partially funded by Central MN Council on Aging – frozen meals contribution and
Meals-on-Wheels referral partner.
·
Cargill – breakfast
meals.
·
J&B Group – bulk
warehouse freezer storage including bulk prepared meal storage and bulk raw
food storage; not to mention helping us resolve logistical issues, as well as
supplying a really great box with the outcome of providing so many solutions to
challenges we have faced in our production process.
·
Buffalo Crossings LLC,
owner of Oriental Buffet in Buffalo – commercial walk-in freezer, commercial
walk-in cooler, and commercial kitchen to pack and store senior meals.
·
Local Food Shelves -
local frozen meal and bulk food storage, as well as senior services registration
(Annandale Food Shelf, Buffalo Food Shelf, Monticello Help Center, and Waverly
Food Shelf).
·
Trailblazer – daily
volunteer based County-wide local meal delivery.
·
Delano Senior Center –
senior services application fulfillment and frozen meal distribution, as well
as Meals-on-Wheels referral partner.
·
Public Health –
volunteer recruitment, data support, instructional materials design, and
logistics support.
·
St. Cloud Refrigeration
– emergency air conditioning for the Waverly Café kitchen.
·
Local Lions Clubs –
local community freezer development and contributions to the cost of frozen
meals (Waverly, Montrose, Howard Lake, Maple Lake, Loretto, and Monticello).
·
Local Municipalities –
local freezer storage funding support (City of Waverly, City of Montrose, City
of Howard Lake).
·
Health Care Partners –
Allina Health (financial support)
·
Other Local Corporations
– Citizen State Bank of Waverly (freezer funding support) and Walgreens
(shopping bags).
·
Local Faith-based
organizations – many very giving churches for many years have been active in
financial support for food security across Wright County (too many to mention
them all – but you know who you are) . – in addition, Love INC, St Mary’s
Catholic Church, Alleluia Lutheran, Our Father’s Lutheran, St. John’s Lutheran,
North Ridge Fellowship Small Group and friends, Montrose United Methodist
Church have provide support for senior call center activity, B.R.E.A.D program
outreach, volunteer administrative services, food security, food preparation,
and meal and food storage - access and delivery.
·
Initiative Foundations,
Delano Loretto Area United Way, Wright County Area United Way, Mardag
Foundation, and St Paul and Minnesota Foundations including funding for
COVID-19 direct response, Catchafire membership, and B.R.E.A.D. program
funding.
·
State Live Well at Home
Funding and Federal Title III funding support administered by the Minnesota
Board on Aging and Central Minnesota Council on Aging.
·
Wholesale purchase of
recyclable meal trays.
·
Oliver Equipment Lease
for the required equipment to seal the senior meal trays.
·
AMI Group and IDA Foods
– access to airline meal vendors adding senior meal production capacity and
contingency support. This opportunity to purchase over stock of
first-class airline meals due to drop in air travel and our partners sharing
their relationships.
·
Tireless WCCA Staff
support from multiple programs working to braid any allowable resource to make
a difference for our seniors.
·
Countless community
volunteers - everything from administrative services support, logistics and
storage coordination, bulk food and materials transport, senior transportation,
local meal delivery, meal packing, senior call center activity, PPE production
and product support, volunteer coordination, food rescue, and so many more
details where you fill the gap (you too, know who you are – we are so
grateful for your courage and willingness to step forward to meet needs).
Call to Action
There is still much more opportunity for local
corporate and civic partners to get involved. It’s simple solutions like
packing meals in the Walgreens shopping bags or storing bulk meals or protein
on the warehouse freezer floor at J&B Group that have made all the
difference. Given the chance there are many incredible businesses that
have unique resources, relationships, buying power, and experience.
We really hope to find more corporate partners willing to leverage their earned
knowledge and distinctive talents to improve this support for our seniors
during the pandemic. Leveraging what they do best including their
marketing, buying power, and connections brings together powerful
partners. When we put our heads together, we dig up unique ways like
those mentioned briefly above. These often come from you readers. So please share this email with your
friend, neighbor, or corporate partner so that this story can be told, and those big thinkers out there
have the opportunity to step forward and do what they do best.
Its leaders like Waverly Café, J&B Group,
Cargill, St. Cloud Refrigeration, Buffalo Crossing, and Untiedt Vegetable Farm
that are showing us ways for other corporate partners to leverage their buying
power, innovation, and economy of scale that will most likely take this
delivery system to the next level. We need you thinkers to help refine
our process as a community, interested in protecting our most vulnerable
population by leveraging their lessons learned; those lessons that have brought
your businesses to the success they are today. Share this message with your friends: during the same years that many of your
companies were established and being built to thrive, the people we are
trying to protect were your customers. This might be a great
opportunity to now give back to the ones who supported you and help them
thrive.
We need to refine solutions in local communities
for freezer storage, access to bulk buying, shared and efficient transportation
opportunities, HR teams organizing volunteers to support local distribution in
their community, corporate giving through community investment and
matching. We need volunteered ingenuity from our bankers and other
corporate partners that can bring their experience to this effort to
shore up and produce a stronger, even more sustainable model than we have
today. It is partners with their buying power, innovation, and economy of
scale that are now needed to continue to refine our process. There is
still local ingenuity to leverage in this crisis seeking local solutions that
will only enhance, extend, and sustain the investment of the federal and state
agencies.
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