https://www.buffalostrong.care
Dear Friends and Partners,
This is the February 21st update of Wright County’s Care and Nutrition Partnership Support
for Seniors (60+). We are starting our 49th
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.
The
figurative Ice Cream Cone that was discussed last week can feed a lot of
people. While continuously perfecting its wonderful flavors, ultimately
this Ice Cream Cone is feeding the hearts, minds, and bodies of some of our
most vulnerable population in Wright County. If you want to learn more
about the development of the Ultimate Ice Cream Cone to Feed Vulnerable Seniors, a blog is available to
follow the story throughout the pandemic. WCCA Senior Care and Nutrition Blog If you want to add your
ice cream topping, connect or volunteer in one of the many ways listed below or
just call WCCA to let us know your thoughts. I’ll bet we can mix you in.
Western Hennepin
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.
Mary says, Happy belated Presidents Day!
https://www.wccaweb.com/Program/Senior_Frozen_Meals
Please
share this email so all our seniors and their family and friends have access to
this information and can confidentially check into resources they may need.
Other Food Resources in Wright County
No
one needs to be hungry in Wright County, of course, except if you are fasting.
Please contact your local Food Shelf or an Emergency Food Box Partner.
Contact information is available at the Food Shelf and Emergency Food Box
Network links below.
If
you would like to learn more about our Emergency Food Box or consider becoming
an Emergency Food Box Network partner, please call (320) 963-6500 and dial zero.
Wright County COVID-19 IMPACT
As
of February 18th we’ve had 12,298 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 133 new confirmed cases since
last week – and only 3 new cases over age 70. Cases in the County leveled off in
the last few weeks.
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/026d05fb250c47e08ceb0700bfcd00ee
Launch
the “new” Vaccine Connector: click à 
https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/locations/index.jsp
Wright
County Vaccine locations include:
- CentraCare – Monticello (320) 200-3200
(Appointment required)
- Thrifty White Pharmacy #787 – Annandale (320) 274-3062 (Appointment required and
Pre-registration)
- Walmart #1577 – Buffalo (763)
682-2963 (Appointment
required, Pre-screening, and Pre-registration)
Trailblazer
Transit is offering transportation at no cost to customers for any rides
related to a COVID-19 vaccination. Caretakers and children may also ride
along at no cost. Customers will need to coordinate with their health
care providers or the vaccination clinics to schedule the appointments for the
vaccines and then contact Trailblazer to schedule the
transportation.
Rides
for vaccinations are scheduled subject to bus availability and are coordinated
with other rides in normal fashion. Trailblazer Transit may extend hours
into the evening or add hours on Saturdays for the purpose of providing COVID-19
vaccination transportation. Please call toll-free 1-888-743-3828 to ask any questions and
to schedule your transportation. The buses are clean, safe, and
comfortable. Masks are required on the bus and social distancing polices
are in effect. https://www.trailblazertransit.com/program-overview/
If
you are 65 or older and live in Wright County, you can sign up to be on a random
selection list for COVID-19 vaccine and you can also receive email updates
regarding COVID-19 vaccine from Wright County Health and Human Services:
http://www.co.wright.mn.us/945/Coronavirus-COVID-19
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.
If
you just want to know a little bit more about the basics of the vaccine,
checkout this Vaccine Fact Sheet:
http://www.co.wright.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/21224/Vaccine-Fact-Sheet?bidId=
Impact to our oldest Minnesota residents
https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/stats/covidweekly07.pdf
Seniors have so much more to risk. Please Share this information with your friends and the seniors in your life. Let’s make an intentional effort to protect our seniors and vulnerable friends and use the time necessary to let the vaccines and herd immunity do their good work.
PLEASE realize that separation and social distancing also has its negative impact on vulnerable seniors. 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 today and every day.
Wright County Community
Action (WCCA) B.R.E.A.D. Program
If
your church or civic organization would like to learn more
about partnering with the WCCA B.R.E.A.D. program to support socialization opportunities for our local aging
friends, please contact WCCA Aging Alliance staff at (320) 963-6500 Ext
274 or agingservices@wccaweb.com.
Shout-out to Strategic Partners, WCCA Staff, and Volunteers
Ashley Moline and Amy Johnson – two of our WCCA Aging Alliance
call center staff connecting with seniors at home
In
the past 10 days, 641 health and reassurance calls connected with seniors; with 1,546 calls connecting so far
this month. Of those calls, 217 Wright County senior residents were registered through the WCCA
Health and Reassurance Call Center for the Wright County Public Health Random
Selection Vaccination program, only 31 clients called refused registration. SIGN UP HERE.
Eric
Nagel WCCA Aging Alliance Manager said “Getting vaccinated is a key to our
ability to get back into the community. Something we all want, but older adults
really need to stay healthy. We can reduce their isolation by getting them
vaccinated.”
We
would like to specifically thank Katie who is volunteering her time to call seniors over age 80.
Katie is calling from her place of work in Maple Lake. We can really use
more volunteers like Katie. If you would be willing to volunteer your time to make calls to
local seniors, please contact WCCA Aging Alliance staff at (320) 963-6500 ext. 274. WCCA will equip
volunteer callers with a WCCA cell phone to facilitate more calls to our
seniors.
WCCA
Senior Mobile Food Shelf Delivery
“Imagine it’s a dark overcast afternoon. Maybe snowing, maybe
not...and you look up to see this in a window.” Sometimes
Joel is greeted like this…
Does
Ice Cream have eggs in it? Its winter and Untiedt’s Farm is still making a difference…
Claudia of Untiedt’s Farm loading 175 dozen
eggs into the WCCA van this last Wednesday
The Annandale Food Shelf knows eggs…
Our friends at the Buffalo
Food Shelf and Delano Senior Center like eggs too! Needless to
say, the egg delivery went off without a “hatch” 🤣 (I’m not that funny…that was
Joel’s pun)
Then “the human chain” loads just
the wRIGHT combination of frozen meals to volunteer and employee packers
waiting at the WCCA Food Shelf in Waverly to pack 2,100 meals in
14 meal variety packs
meals in…meals packed
…meals out
Then it’s quickly back to the local freezers – Thanks to volunteers Ron, Ryan,
Jeremy, and Bob
The last lick from the ice cream cone (process) of the day is to reuse or recycle our boxes.
Staff member from Waverly
Café – Kaytlin Harris helping Joel take the freezer boxes back to
storage for their next trip to the freezer and Jeremy Rice of eQuality
Farm taking boxes to be recycled by adults with disabilities into
compost layering, making tinder for wood stoves, and bedding for
chickens
Every once in a while we like to
thank this guy that strolled into camera view this week at the packing event
– Walter Knight drives our food rescue and back pack food distribution
route on an every week basis. Thank you so much for all you do Walter.
We could use your help too!
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. 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.
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!
Buffalo Strong,
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.
· Hunger Solutions – assistance and funding
support for food rescue and concept building
· 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.
· eQuality
Farms – volunteer packing, loading and off-loading senior meals, as well as
helping to recycle boxes using their employed adults with disabilities to break
the boxes down into compost layering, making tinder for wood stoves, and
bedding for chickens.
· 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, Zion
Lutheran, Living Water Christian Fellowship, Buffalo Covenant 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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