The United Way of Crookston provides grants to 19 agencies providing services in the Crookston Community. One of those is the Lutheran Social Service (LSS) meals program. United Way Executive Director Lori Wagner said the United Way is providing its grant money earlier in the calendar year during 2020 as a result of COVID-19. “LSS meals on wheels, we help them out as an agency of ours,” said Wagner. “We have 19 agencies with the United Way of Crookston and we got the money out early to them this year because of the COVID-19. LSS meals provide meals for everyone. If you are 60 or older they suggest (a donation) of $5-8.40 but do not deny a meal to any senior due to the inability of pay. They serve 50 of the elderly people in the Crookston area.”
The grant from the United Way is used to cover the expenses of providing the service to those seniors who cannot afford to donate $5 toward their meals and the costs to deliver those meals. LSS Meals offer a couple of options for meals, one being to have meals delivered to a senior’s home. The other option is to get an LSS meals card at Hugo’s or American Federal Bank to use at RBJ’s. Wagner said that because of COVID-19, more seniors have chosen to get their meals delivered or have another venue for food. “They serve meals seven days a week and have served 1,510 meals from January through March of this year already,” said Wagner. “Because of COVID-19, some seniors that would typically eat at the house of RBJ’s have chosen to get their meals delivered or have another venue for food.”
Additionally, the Minnesota Board on Aging asked LSS and other service agencies who provide meals to seniors to send 14 emergency meals to seniors who are considered at risk for a lack of nutrition adding further costs to the meal program. In the Crookston area, 84 percent of seniors served are at high risk for developing severe nutritional deficiencies according to the 2019 National Aging Program Information System’s nutrition risk data.
Carole DeMars, regional manager for LSS meals in Polk, Pennington, Marshall, and Red Lake counties, said both staff and clients greatly appreciate the support of the United Way. “Friends at United Way, thank you so much for your generous donation toward our LSS meal program in Crookston,” said DeMars. “It is greatly appreciated, even more so now with the pandemic that is going on. I know that we, as employees for LSS, truly appreciate your gift as well as our seasoned family in Crookston. Thank you again, stay safe.”
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