Dear Friends and Partners,
This is the January 17th update of Wright
County’s Care and Nutrition Partnership Support for Seniors (60+). We are
starting our 44th 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.
Special friend and model – Thank you Mary!
Wright County COVID-19 IMPACT
As
of January 14th we’ve had 11,487 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 310 new confirmed cases since
last week – 28 new cases over age 70.
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/52d559cfbe6e4ca39558c9b2f877e144
Seniors, if you want to learn more about access to the vaccine you might consider signing up for an email update from Wright County Health and Human Services:
http://www.co.wright.mn.us/999/COVID-19-Vaccine-Newsletter-Signup
http://www.co.wright.mn.us/997/COVID-19-Vaccine
If
you know a Senior
who has limited or no access to email and the Internet they can learn more about the vaccine by calling
the Wright County Coronavirus Information Line:
763-682-7607. These are wonderful resources provided by the County.
http://www.co.wright.mn.us/945/Coronavirus-COVID-19
Impact to our oldest residents in Minnesota
https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/stats/covidweekly01.pdf
It is pretty obvious our seniors have much more to risk. Please Share this information with your friends and the seniors in your life. Let’s make a determined effort to protect our seniors and vulnerable friends and use the time necessary to let the vaccine and herd immunity do its good work.
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
WCCA has applied for and been awarded a new grant from Live Well at Home to support continuation and development of important services for seniors including caregiver support, chore, home delivery and homemaker support. This support is offered through June 30, 2021. Thank you so much Minnesota Department of Human Services and Live Well at Home Team!!! We are grateful for this opportunity.
NourishingHOPE is making a tremendous impact on local food security. This week NourishingHOPE distributed 27,017 pounds of food from Second Harvest and another 80 cases of produce from Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm. This food went to a total of 2,267 individuals including over 590 seniors from 39 unduplicated zip codes. We could not be prouder of the work this organization is doing to support seniors and our local families over all.
This
Thursday at 10:00 am, we had a new set of WCCA volunteers packing 2,100 meals along with WCCA
staff. On most packing days, newly produced meals from Waverly Café are
delivered for storage at J&B Group in St. Michael and meals in storage there at J&B are picked up
in just the right quantities for transfer to Waverly to be packed for delivery
to seniors.
Rain or shine – Joel has frozen meals headed for storage at
J&B Group and packing at WCCA Food Shelf in Waverly
Waverly Cafe’s newly produced meals headed for the warehouse freezer at J&B Group
New
Packing team on board this week
Thank you Annandale Food Shelf
for your support for Senior Frozen Meal Storage and Distribution
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.
If
you are willing to help deliver meals to seniors homes, please call 320-963-6500 Ext 274 and let us know so that we can find the best
place to plug you in.
This week at
Untiedt’s Vegetable FarmAs mentioned last week, the final distribution of produce from Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm took place on Tuesday, January 12th by NourishingHOPE.
January
12th Line-up of NourishingHOPE’s Our Father’s Lutheran Distribution
This was the last load of vegetables from the Untiedt’s 2020 growing season. Next year we hope to continue to distribute vegetables through the winter, taking advantage of the preservation opportunity made possible by the Hunger Solutions grant and the commercial kitchen provided by Untiedt’s.
Please let us know if you have an interest in volunteering in this kitchen when the time comes to begin the preservation process of next year’s excess crop (Call 763-658-4414). What a great opportunity to store up wonderful vegetables for the winter.
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 peace,
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.
·
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.
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