(Editor’s Note: The following article was submitted by the Catholic Charities organization).
Catholic Charities Senior Dining has organized Frozen Meal Distribution pop-up locations for the month of June across Central Minnesota, with meals for seniors age 60 and over available at 26 locations, including Albany, Askov, Big Lake, Brainerd, Deerwood, Foley, Hinckley, Little Falls, Long Prairie, Milaca, Mora, North Branch, Ogilvie, Paynesville, Pierz, Pillager, Rush City, Sandstone, Sartell, St. Cloud, St. Joseph, Staples and Wadena.
• Ogilvie: Tuesday, June 1, 11 am to 12 pm — Ogilvie Museum, 102 N Hill Ave, Ogilvie, MN 56358;
• Mora: Tuesday, June 1, 12 to 1 pm — First Presbyterian Church, 551 S Wood St, Mora, MN 55051;
• Brainerd: Thursday, June 3, 11 am to 12:30 pm — Brainerd Lakes Salvation Army, 208 S 5th St, Brainerd, MN 56401;
• Wadena: Thursday, June 3, 1 to 2 pm — Immanuel Lutheran Church, 403 2nd St SE, Wadena, MN 56482;
• Hinckley: Friday, June 4, 10 to 11:30 am — Hinckley Community Center, 102 Dunn Ave N, Hinckley, MN 55037;
• Albany: Monday, June 8, 1 to 2 pm — Pondview Estates, 334 Golfview Dr, Albany, MN 56307;
• St. Cloud: Tuesday, June 8, 1 to 3 pm — Catholic Charities Emergency Services, 157 Roosevelt Rd, St. Cloud, MN 56301;
• Sartell: Wednesday, June 9, 9:30 to 11 am — Sartell Community Center, 850 19th St S, Sartell, MN 56377;
• Pillager: Thursday, June 10, 12 to 4 pm — Pillager Area Family Center, 305 Fir Ave, Pillager, MN 56473;
• Milaca: Thursday, June 10, 2 to 3:30 pm — Alliance Church, 12543 MN-23, Milaca, MN 56353;
• Little Falls: Friday, June 11, 10 to 11 am — Little Falls Senior Center, 510 7th St NE, Little Falls, MN 56345;
• North Branch: Saturday, June 12, 9:30 to 11:30 am — Ruby’s Pantry, 4359 392nd St, North Branch, MN 55056;
• St. Cloud: Monday, June 14, 11 am to 1 pm — First Presbyterian Church, 340 5th Ave S, St. Cloud, MN 56301;
• Foley: Monday, June 14, 11 am to 1 pm — Foley Area CARE, 321 6th Ave, Foley, MN 56329;
• Askov: Tuesday, June 15, 1 to 2:30 pm — Askov Community Center, 6369 Kobmagergade, Askov, MN 55704;
• Long Prairie: Wednesday, June 16, 10 am to 11:30 am — Long Prairie Food Distribution Center, 127 Central Ave, Long Prairie, MN 56347;
• Rush City: Thursday, June 17, 10 to 11:30 am — Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 425 S Frandsen Ave, Rush City, MN 55069;
• Sandstone: Thursday, June 17, 1 to 2:30 pm — Pine Habilitation and Supported Employment, Inc. (PHASE), 106 Main St, Sandstone, MN 55072;
• Staples: Thursday, June 17, 2 to 4 pm — Lakewood Health System (Main Campus parking lot near Farmer’s Market), 401 Prairie Ave NE, Staples, MN 56479;
• Pierz: Friday, June 18, 10 am to 12 pm — Fellowship Bible Church, 12876 MN-25, Pierz, MN 56364;
• Deerwood: Monday, June 21, 11 am to 12:30 pm — Deerwood Auditorium (parking lot), 23770 Forest Rd, Deerwood, MN 56444;
• St. Cloud: Tuesday, June 22, 1 to 3 pm — Catholic Charities Emergency Services, 157 Roosevelt Rd, St. Cloud, MN 56301;
• Paynesville: Wednesday, June 23, 1 to 2 pm — Green Roof Area Center, 1105 W Main St, Paynesville, MN 56362;
• St. Joseph: Thursday, June 24, 10:30 am to 12 pm — Resurrection Lutheran Church, 610 Co Rd 2, St. Joseph, MN 56374;
• Sartell: Monday, June 28, 8 to 10:30 am — Celebration Lutheran Church, 1500 Pine Cone Rd N, Sartell, MN 56377;
• Big Lake: Monday, June 28, 10 am to 12 pm — Old National Bank (parking lot), 19943 County Rd 43, Big Lake, MN 55309;
The Senior Dining Frozen Meal Expansion Project started in August 2020 and additional pop-up locations are continually being added. At the time of writing, 26 locations for the month of June are currently scheduled. Visit ccstcloud.org/events for the most up-to-date information. The project is partially funded under a contract with the Central Minnesota Council on Aging as part of the Older Americans Act.
These healthy and nutritious frozen meals meet one-third of the recommended daily allowance for seniors, and are packaged in oven-safe containers that are easy to heat and eat in both conventional and microwave ovens. Meals are available in quantities of 10 and up to 30 per calendar month. Participants must be 60 years of age and older to be eligible, and all clients must complete an annual registration form. There is no cost to participate; however, donations will be accepted.
Catholic Charities Receives Minnesota DHS Circle of Excellence Award
In November 2020, Catholic Charities was awarded the Minnesota Department of Human Services Circle of Excellence award, which recognizes six organizations that have partnered with DHS and done an exemplary job of providing food, shelter and other assistance to Minnesotans in need. The award recognizes that Catholic Charities—specifically, its Senior Dining program—has had to change its model for providing low-cost nutritious meal options for older adults in Central Minnesota during the pandemic. By incorporating frozen foods, developing pop-up sites and partnering with food shelves, including Catholic Charities Emergency Services Food Shelf, the Senior Dining program more than tripled its capacity and has been able to prepare and deliver about 91,000 meals per month, up from 26,000 meals a month the previous year.
About Catholic Charities Senior Dining
Catholic Charities Senior Dining sites have been providing seniors with food during the COVID-19 pandemic with modified quarantine practices. Recognizing that seniors who live in rural communities have limited opportunities for food support, Catholic Charities Senior Dining is partnering with several Central Minnesota locations to offer our frozen meals to pick up in a no-contact, drive-through format.
Catholic Charities Senior Dining, a program of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud, has been providing low-cost meal options for seniors 60 and older in Central Minnesota for more than 55 years. The program currently has senior dining sites located across nine counties throughout the Central Minnesota region, offering meals for takeout, pickup and home delivery.
To see a list of Catholic Charities Senior Dining site locations by county, visit the Senior Dining section at ccstcloud.org/program-status.
