Dear Friends and Partners,
This is the January 3rd update of Wright County’s Care and Nutrition Partnership Support for Seniors (60+). We are starting our 42nd 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.
It has been a year we will not soon forget. The Wright County Senior Care and Nutrition Partnership has taken 1,425 senior nutrition applications and distributed 86,869 prepared frozen meals since the start of the pandemic’s direct impact in mid-March.
Wright County COVID-19 IMPACT
As of December 31st we’ve had 10,835 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wright County. This measurement began March 13th of 2020. The chart below demonstrates the daily trend of cases since mid-March. We’ve had 706 new confirmed cases in the last two weeks. This number is almost half the weekly number reported here last. This is certainly a great improvement. JJJ It is so good to see these numbers trending in the opposite direction.
That
said, our seniors remain vulnerable. Please don’t be impatient or get lax
with your health or that of the seniors near you. While just about half
the weekly number from our last report, in the last two weeks there were still 49 new confirmed COVID-19
cases in Wright County of seniors over 70 years of age and 19 laboratory confirmed
deaths in the same period.
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/52d559cfbe6e4ca39558c9b2f877e144
As
of December 28th, two vaccines have been approved by the FDA with
three more in Phase Three Clinical Trials. The impact from the vaccine
and herd immunity to protect the most vulnerable is still quite a ways
out. Here is an illustration of an early projection. As you can see
we need to remain attentive and cautious being patient to give time for this
process to play out.
It
has been about 100 years since the last time we faced a pandemic of this
magnitude. While technology and information are very much on our side
this time around, our much higher expectation for convenience, our lack of
patience in this instant gratification world, and peer pressure seem to be the
biggest barriers to safety and successful outcomes.
https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/index.jsp#header
Seniors
and individuals with co-morbidities need to stay persistent and vigilant until
they can receive the vaccine or herd immunity can really impact the spread of
this virus. We are updating this specific graph every week to remind
seniors and their friends and family of where they stand in this uncommon situation.
In Minnesota, over 17% of our seniors over the age of 80 who contract COVID-19 are
dying. The path to recovery for seniors is not a pleasant experience and can be
long and very lonely.
Impact to our oldest residents in Minnesota
Our seniors are no doubt the most vulnerable per capita – your actions can make a difference. While we need to protect this population, please 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 confidentially 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
The Waverly Café Team hit another milestone in the past two weeks producing 52,120 meals so far for the Partnership since May 20th. We owe so much to this bold and courageous local restaurant. Seniors are loving their food, and I know our community does as well. Let’s all find ways to support this restaurant and others like it.
Trailblazer Transit has over 900 service hours delivering prepared meals to Wright County Seniors in 2020. The scale of this operation would not have been possible without the support of this outstanding partner.
Monday, December 21st WCCA, Forgotten Harvest – N. Minneapolis, and Twin Cities Rescue partnered to distribute 80 cases of Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm Produce and 3,920 prepared frozen meals.
We
could use your help! If you have a team that might want to help us pack
frozen 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 at Untiedt’s
In the last
distribution for the 2020 growing season, Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm
donated 587 boxes of produce,
including Butternut and Acorn Squash, Red Potatoes, and 🍎Kindercrisps Apples.
(https://www.equalityonline.org/farm/) Non-profit
farm employing adults with developmental disabilities
Jeremy Rice
of eQuality Farms was a huge help particularly here at the end of the season
when Untiedt’s Team had already gone home for the season. Farmer Jerry
“Untiedt”, Joel Klaverkamp, and Jeremy Rice had their work cut out for them as
they prepared and loaded the final 587
cases of produce at the Untiedt’s Farm this season.
Untiedt’s produce, coming directly from the farm, has really been stretched out past the growing season this year and has been a wonderful blessing to so many seniors, individuals, and local families
If
you or a potential partner would like to help expand these resources 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!
Full of Hope,
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 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.
·
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.
·
Forgotten Harvest –
frozen meal distribution and produce distribution.
·
NourshingHOPE – senior
services applications fulfillment, frozen meal distribution, and produce
distribution.
·
Twin Cities Rescue –
produce distribution and frozen meal 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.
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