3-14-21 Care and Nutrition Update for Wright County Seniors

Dear Friends and Partners,

This is the March 14th update of Wright County’s Care and Nutrition Partnership Support for Seniors (60+).  We are starting our 52st 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 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, dinner’s ready!      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 unless they 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.

https://www.wccaweb.com/Program/Food_Shelf 

https://www.wccaweb.com/Program/Emergency_Food_Box_Network

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.

Why is protecting our seniors from COVID-19 essential?

Impact to our oldest Minnesota residents

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/stats/covidweekly10.pdf

Seniors are more at risk.  Please Share this information with your friends and the seniors in your life.  Let’s make a collaborative effort to protect our seniors and vulnerable friends and use the time necessary to let the vaccines and herd immunity do their job.  There is a light out there at the end of the tunnel.

PLEASE realize that separation and social distancing also have a 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.

Shout-out to Strategic Partners, WCCA Staff, and Volunteers

Generous Cargill bulk donation of 1,800 lbs. of one of their premium products of Breakfast food valued at over $6,000.  A special thank you Ryan Schmitz and Scott Peterson at Cargill for their coordination of this gift.


Also Thank you –  Volunteers!:  Gail Reitan, Connie Hall, Diane Fokestad, Roger Odell, Ron Krohn, and Jerry Paetow for repacking eight cases (600 packages) of Cargill Casserole Bites preparing them for distribution with senior meals. 

 

We could use your help, too!  

If you have a team that might want to help us pack frozen meals or breakfast foods 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.

Water Donation to support seniors and other residents of Montrose

This week WCCA’s Joel Klaverkamp pivoted to hauling water.  We want to especially thank Culligan Water of Buffalo for stepping to the forefront this week and donating 84 cases of bottled water to support seniors and the other citizens of Montrose needing water.

Jeff Mohrman (R) and Bobby Kochie (L) of Culligan Water of Buffalo

If you would like to partner like Culligan Water of Buffalo to help support water needs in Montrose, please call the Wright County Food Shelf in Waverly at (763) 658-4414.

 

Grace Place helping with water support in Montrose

Grace Place has offered their support as a distribution site for Montrose residents needing water support.  Particularly, we hope young families with infant children and seniors needing a little extra help with getting water will feel comfortable going to Grace Place to pick-up the water they need. 


Volunteers – Lloyd Johnson, Amanda Salkowski, Scott Zakariya Shikder (teen), and Pastor Cathy Jones
 
Seniors of Montrose (60+), if you are having a hard time getting drinking water please let us know.  If you need access to water please call our WCCA Aging Alliance number at (320) 963-6500 Ext. 274 and let us assist you.  While you can currently pick-up water at Grace Place, if you are not able, we will do our best to bring it to you.


Local individuals that would like to donate water to Montrose seniors and young families please bring it to Grace Place in Montrose.  If that is not convenient, please feel free to drop off water at the WCCA Food Shelf in Waverly.

 

New Soup Recipe under development

This week Kristy and Jose Flores have been collaborating on our next frozen soup option.  This soup is an all-vegetable soup made of carrots, zucchini squash, potato, onions, and celery.  It is truly delicious and we hope to soon make products like this available to seniors using fresh farm produce from Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm. 


Guatemalan Vegetable Soup – Thank you Jose and Kristy Flores for all your effort and hard work to produce just the right combination of ingredients in this new frozen soup recipe option.

Favorite Taste Testers – Carol Sideen and Penny.  While Penny may have licked the bowl, the soup reviews from Carol are pretty good!

 

Farm Bureau and Cub Shopping Spree update from last week

The Wright County Farm Bureau sponsored a food awareness shopping spree on Friday, March 5, 2021 at Cub Foods in Buffalo.  This event totaled donations of more than $4,100.  The Wright County Farm Bureau purchased $3,004.56 of food which was divided between Wright County Community Action (WCCA) Food Shelf, Riverworks Food Shelf and Delano Food Shelf. Cub Foods of Buffalo also donated carts of food to each of the food shelves valued at more than $1,100.

Pictured Front Row: Pat Bakeberg, Wright County Farm Bureau Vice President, Dennis Sabel, Minnesota Farm Bureau Membership & Marketing Specialist; State Representative Joe McDonald; Sue Stahlke, Delano Food Shelf; Derek Vetsch, Wright County Commissioner; State Senator Bruce Anderson; JoMarie Williamson, Delano Food Shelf; Tammi Olstad, Riverworks Food Shelf; Robin LaFond, Riverworks Food Shelf; Tammy Prestidge, Wright County Community Action (WCCA); Gaida Ulrick, WCCA; and Mary Wetter, Wright County Commissioner.

Pictured Back Row: Mike Kaczmarek, Wright County Commissioner; Jay Weatherford, WCCA; Adam Tabberson, Farm Bureau Financial Services Agent; Julie Marquardt, Wright County Farm Bureau Promotion & Education Chairperson; Kevin Dahlman, Wright County Farm Bureau President; Dan Manz, Wright County Farm Bureau board member; Jim Raymond, Wright County Farm Bureau board member.

Left to right – Representative Joe McDonald, Commissioner Vetsch, Commissioner Kaczmarek, Commissioner Wetter, and Senator Anderson

The legislator team of Rep. Joe McDonald and Sen. Bruce Anderson, with assistance by Dan Manz, collected 791 lbs. of food priced at $1,373.80.  The county commissioner team of Mary Wetter, Derek Vetsch and Mike Kaczmarek gathered 934 lbs. of food priced at $1,630.76. 

Wright County COVID-19 IMPACT

As of March 11th we’ve had 12,735 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 182 new confirmed cases since last week. 

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/026d05fb250c47e08ceb0700bfcd00ee


Click Here to   

Local Vaccine Locations  

https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/locations/index.jsp

 

Local Wright County vaccine locations include:

 

Trailblazer Transit – is providing no cost rides to COVID-19 vaccinations.

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=

https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/data/index.jsp

Senior Vaccination Registrations

Currently, WCCA’s Health and Reassurance Call Center team has connected with 642 higher risk seniors.  We have been working with seniors to help register them for the vaccine.  Currently 359 are setting in active registration status waiting to be picked for vaccination, 177 have been vaccinated, 27 have already been chosen for vaccination and are awaiting their appointment, and 79 have chosen to not take the vaccination at this time.    If you would like to register, SIGN UP HERE.  See more information on vaccine availability below.

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 can use more volunteers.  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 Aging Alliance      


 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.

 

WCCA is also working to develop expanded access for senior housekeeping and chore services.  Let us know if we can help someone you know at the email or phone number above.

 

If you or a potential partner would like to help expand food 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 – ongoing breakfast meals support.

·        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.

 https://www.buffalostrong.care

 





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