The Citizen this week reports many good things happening in our community - and a bad event. Good things first. We compliment the Backpack Buddies program for continuing their excellent efforts to help less-fortunate with a meals program out of school.
Backpack Buddies has been around for a few years and has grown in impact, helping more school-age children with nourishing meals away from school.
It’s testimony to neighbors-helping-neighbors. And it means the government needs to be less-involved.
We have a front-page story on their latest project, to be held in late July. Get the details in Staff Writer Bill Morgan’s story.
Congratulations to all the people involved in this endeavor. You can count on our newspaper to help spread the good word.
We did the story last week on the young Becker boy, Bryce Roelike, who staged a garage sale to help raise funds for the American Cancer Society. The community, including John Riebel and staff at Becker True Value, pitched in to provide items for sale and it turned out to be a tremendous success.
Bryce’s take from the garage sale was over $3,300, with more money coming in.
Neighbors helping neighbors. It’s the community way.
And the Relay for Life, taking place this weekend.
And, we’ll always cover those stories.
A sad note from last week. Greg Metzger, Becker native, died in a motorcycle crash in Crow Wing County.
He was with a group of riders Cruisin for Autism in Minnesota fundraiser.
He died doing a noble deed.
Each week, there are countless good deeds done by people throughout our community. Whether it’s the Legion, the Senior Citizens, food shelf folk, Yellow Ribbon people, scouts or the many church and recreational sports leaders.
Your stories are good ones to tell. We’re proud of you.
A sad story this week. Vandals for the eighth time broke into the Krageroo one-room school house up on Co. Rd. 48, destroying some of its contents.
The community needs to help its owners, Tom and Gail Barthel, and the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Dept., find and prosecute the offenders.
Only if they are caught can they be made to understand destroying things doesn’t boost the ego.
Farewell, Dennis
We sadly note this week the passing of Dennis Voight, longtime Becker resident.
Dennis served on the Becker City Council in a quiet but admirable fashion, helping along projects during the community’s most-formative years, the 1980’s and 1990’s.
He never raised his voice. He didn’t have to.
And he was always there with a shovel to clear the sidewalk of snow and ice at the Catholic church.
A good man - who will be missed.
