12-13-20 Care and Nutrition Update for Wright County Seniors

 

Dear Friends and Partners,

This is the December 13th update of Wright County’s Care and Nutrition Partnership Support for Seniors (60+).  We are starting our 39^th week of response to COVID-19. 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, assisted transportation and other logistical issues as they present.

In addition to our work in Wright County, NourishingHOPE is extending frozen meal support just beyond the Wright County Line to the east into Western Hennepin County.  Seniors there in Western Hennepin County can reach out to NourishingHOPE to learn about frozen meal support in their local community.  Communities in Western Hennepin include: Corcoran, Greenfield, Hamel, Hassen, Loretto, Rogers, Delano, Hanover, Maple Plain, Otsego, and Rockford.  For more information about Western Hennepin services, please contact nourishinghope.oflc@gmail.com or call (763) 477-6300. 

Wright County COVID-19 IMPACT

As of December 10^th we have 9,528 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wright County.  This measurement began March 13^th of this year.  The chart below demonstrates the trend of cases since mid-March.  In the last week we’ve had 1,058 new confirmed cases.  This number is down from the prior three weeks which averaged over 1,300 new cases per week. J  The last eight weeks we have seen gains of 191, 397, 626, 1083, 1379, as well as 2651 during the two weeks around thanksgiving and now 1,058 last week respectively.  As you can see from this trend, this is the first down week in the last eight. For our senior’s sake, let’s pray this new trend continues exponentially – decreasing as quickly as it has risen.

That said, our seniors are still being hit hard.  Last week there were over 100 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wright County of seniors alone over 70 years of age. 

In our suburban and rural communities, it seems we may have suffered a delay or sleeper effect.  For a time, it seemed we were insulated somewhat from the “problems that plagued more urban areas” and may have suffered from a “false sense of security”.  There’s an insightful article in USA Today by Trevor Hughes that tells a vivid story about a rural community, “Deadliest place in America:  They shrugged off the pandemic, then their family and friends started dying”; worth the read as it relates to the impact of this virus specifically on our oldest residence:

 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/12/12/coronavirus-deaths-highest-us-rural-republican-leaning-county/3828902001/

                                                                                                                                                       https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/52d559cfbe6e4ca39558c9b2f877e144

The story in the article above really makes one consider more carefully the message depicted in the graph below.

Impact to our oldest residents in Minnesota

Please don’t be lulled into a false sense of security.  Share this information with your friends.  Let’s make an intentional effort to protect our seniors just in case we don’t have all the answers or truly understand the impact of this virus on our older loved ones.  Our elders still have a lot to give us.  As you can imagine, illness is a process- or has a timeline- and we see delayed outcomes, whether happy or sad.  Fortunately, our medical professionals are gaining experience with this plague, and that can only be a good thing.  Still yet this week Wright County has suffered from another precious seven lives, confirmed lost to COVID-19. 

Our seniors are no doubt the most vulnerable per capita – your actions can make a difference.  While we need to protect this population, please realize that separation and social distancing also has its negative impact on this vulnerable group.  Please share this story so all our seniors and their family and friends know a place to go if they want to confidently check into resources they may need  – also please call the seniors next door or in your town to let them know you care. 

Shout-out to Strategic Partners

Special volunteers

We can’t start to list all the amazing people providing support and courage to make the work of this Community Partnership possible.  Here are just a few of the activities where volunteers are generously giving their time:

• Volunteers riding the Trailblazer bus every week to distribute meals to more that 750 participating seniors
• Volunteers packing bags with senior frozen meals produced by Waverly Café and other frozen meal partners on a weekly basis
• Volunteers making health and reassurance calls to seniors feeling isolated
• Volunteers working onsite at County Food Shelves and other food security partner efforts like NourshingHOPE, Forgotten Harvest, and Twin Cities Rescue
• Volunteers checking in on our seniors through the BREAD Program and other similar efforts to keep in touch with isolated seniors
• Volunteers that for months have given their time on a daily basis to coordinate other volunteers like those riding the Trailblazer buses
• Volunteers that are offering their administrative experience to support the logistics of all our work
• Volunteers that are driving seniors to their medical appointments
• Volunteers that are helping with grocery delivery to local seniors
• Volunteers working to support food rescue at our local grocery stores
• Volunteers distributing produce on an individual basis

All of our volunteers are special people giving of themselves to make a difference for others during an unprecedented pandemic.  One such volunteer today needs our prayers.  While offering his service from early on, he spent months supporting the daily logistics of our frozen food delivery program.  Today is his twelfth day on the ventilator, fighting this virus.  Please pray for him now specifically, and for all our volunteers that are making such a difference.

NourishingHOPE

Well, NourishingHOPE’s December 7^th frozen meal packing event and December 8^th partner distribution effort was a great success.  NourishingHOPE was able to combine the frozen meal distribution with their regularly scheduled Second Harvest food drop and Untiedt’s Produce drop.  Along with the wonderful products from Second Harvest and fresh farm produce from Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm,  4,500 prepared airline industry frozen meals from AMI-IDA Foods were distributed to local residents.

December 7^th NourishingHOPE Packing Event at Our Father’s Lutheran:  In Minnesota, sometimes the best freezer conditions to pack frozen meals is outside.

Packing 4,500 frozen airline meals from AMI-IDA Foods

Enough NourishingHOPE volunteers make all the difference

 

18,900 lbs. of product from Second Harvest

 

83 boxes of Acorn Squash, Butternut Squash, and New Potatoes from Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm

4,500 prepared frozen airline industry meals purchased from ASI-Ida Foods

This week’s NourishingHOPE distribution served individuals and families from 43 unduplicated zip codes in 713 cars representing 2,127 different individuals.  577 of the vehicles had participated in previous NourshingHOPE events and 136 vehicles were first time families and individuals served.  This food drop benefited 559 seniors 65+.

Cars lined up at the NourishingHOPE Food Drop at Montrose United Methodist Church

NourishingHOPE distribution sites and partners include:

• Buffalo Covenant Church
• Corcoran St. Thomas Church
• Delano Light of Christ Church
• Montrose United Methodist Church
• Rockford Our Father’s Lutheran Church
• St. Michael Alleluia Church

WCCA Frozen Meal Packers

This week’s Thursday WCCA Volunteers packing event saw some new faces and packed 2,100 frozen meals ready for local distribution by Trailblazer and the Care and Nutrition Partnership volunteers: Alleluia Church in St. Michael, and Our Father’s Lutheran in Rockford. 

If you have a team that might want to help us pack meals on a Thursday morning please let us know.  Packing usually happens at least once per week and takes less than two hours.  It can be a lot of fun.  Each packing can be done with up to 4 or 5 volunteers.  Call 763-658-4414 if you want to learn more about this volunteering opportunity.

 

This week’s Untiedt’s Distribution Plan

This week Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm offered 300 boxes of produce including Butternut and Acorn Squash, New Potatoes, and 🍎Kindercrisps Apples.

 

This season has been an amazing season in partnership with Untiedt’s.  We are expecting one last produce distribution this year.  Please let us know if there are any food security partners that we are not reaching with fresh fruit and vegetables from Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm.  Please forward this email to them or give them our contact information.

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)

Please forward this email to potential partners!

 Appreciative,

 

Jay Weatherford

WCCA Executive Director

For more information for Wright County senior support services:

https://www.wccaweb.com/Home/Index  (click current programs)

or

email:  agingservices@wccaweb.com

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

Or enroll on Website: https://www.wccaweb.com/Home/Volunteer

New Partner and First Time Reader Overview

Farmers: food shelves 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.

·        Delano Coborn’s – weekly food rescue makes a tremendous impact on food security resources.

·        Local Farmers – Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm and Dechene Corporation of Big Lake Minnesota – 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 and produce.

·        Local Food Shelves – produce distribution, 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 senior meal delivery.

·        Delano Senior Center – senior services application fulfillment, frozen meal distribution, produce distribution, as well as Meals-on-Wheels referral partner.

·        NourshingHOPE – senior services applications fulfillment, frozen meal distribution, and produce distribution. 

·        Wright County Human Services/Public Health – volunteer recruitment support, data support, instructional materials design, and logistics support.

·        St. Cloud Refrigeration – emergency air conditioning for the Waverly Café kitchen.

·        Electrical Workers Union, IBEW Local 292 – brought to the partnership Olympia Tech Electric to support new electrical service needed at Waverly Café

·        Olympia Tech Electric – installing new electrical services at Waverly Café needed for additional freezer capacity

·        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), HWY 55 Trailer Sales of Buffalo, 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, Grace Place, North Ridge Fellowship Small Group and friends, Montrose United Methodist Church have provided 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.

·        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.