Moose Lake, MN

             There was a flurry of activity at the Armory in Cloquet on Wednesday, October 21^st, as the second annual Operation Community Connect – Helping Those Living on Less was underway .   According to an assessment done in Minnesota through the Wilder Foundation, approximately 9,000 men, women, and children are victims of homelessness each and every night (the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless website; September 18, 2009).  Throughout the past couple of years, the communities in Carlton County have become aware of this growing epidemic and desire to do their part to assist the homeless and those at risk of homelessness, not only in Carlton County but also in the surrounding areas, and to help meet the basic needs of these individuals and families.  This endeavor became a reality through a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of MN, and largely through the time, talent, and treasure from our local community people and businesses.

The Operation Community Connect (OCC) ran from 1-5 PM and served 205 guests.   Over 120 families were offered free services and information in an effort to support and encourage them as they strive to get their basic needs met.  Throughout the day, forty (40) community service providers offered assistance in areas that included, but were not limited to: education, employment, legal matters, financial issues, housing needs, children’s programs, food assistance, WIC, Abuse Advocates, and energy assistance programs.  Guests were also offered medical services provided by local and regional medical providers donating their services for dental and optical needs, foot care, glucose monitoring, flu vaccinations, mental health education and services, and massages.  An overwhelming amount of medical services were provided to the guests, here are just a few of the numbers: over 70 flu shots were given, over 33 kids’ and 15 adults’ teeth were cared for, FDL Min No Aya Win foot care was busy the entire time and referred some people to seek clinic care with critical feet concerns, Vision Pro optical helped over 4 guests with eye wear needs, and the massage providers had full chairs!  In order to help meet some of the basic needs of the families in attendance and to surround them with warmth this winter, beautifully made blankets, hats, and mittens were given away.  Also, through generous donations, bags of dried food goods were distributed along with gently used winter garments, bedding, and clothing. 

The OCC Planning Committee wishes to extend a special thank you to the following: Carlton VFW, Carlton County Public Health & Human Services, Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Minnesota, Lakes and Pines Community Action Council, the Faith Community of Carlton County (especially Esko Methodist Church, HOPE Lutheran, and Women of Northern Waters Presbytery), Pat Glasrud MN Dental Association, Steve Saari, Target Stores, Raiter clinic, Mercy Hospital, Peterson Drug in ML, Carlton County Sexual and Domestic Abuse Program, Ages to Ages at the Cloquet schools, Prenatal Early Childhood Coalition (PECC), Colgate, UCARE, the Woman, Infant, and Children (WIC) services, Jimmy LeKander, Finn & Feather hair styling, Marlene Waseen, Eclipse Construction, the City of Barnum, Pine County OCC, McDonnalds Restaurant, Como oil, Upper Lakes Foods, Lake View Restaurant, Karen Johnson, Bruce and Coleen Schmit, Nancy Granda, Brad & Sam Johnson, Scott Ostby, Bob and Jon Ray, Eric Teemple, Josh Livingston, Richard and Briane Romanawski, and Jean Saylor.  This event was successful because of the generous support and donations from these people and organizations. 

            While homelessness continues to be a problem that affects a wide spectrum of people from all walks of life, the OCC last Wednesday was one indication of how our community is attempting to work together to decrease those who are plagued with the malady of homelessness and help prevent more families from becoming homeless.  If you would like to be a part of our continued efforts to help families and people in need, please contact Rebekah Rud at 218-879-4511 or Donna LeKander at 218-878-3007.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 1:38 pm and is filed under 01. Poverty: Knowledge and Awareness, 02. Poverty: Skills and Mobilizing, 03. Poverty: Action, 11. Community: Action. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.