Catholic Charities Senior Dining Provides Curbside Frozen Meal Pickups Across Central Minnesota in March

Catholic Charities Senior Dining is continuing the Senior Dining Frozen Meal Expansion Project in 2021, with meals being made available at several locations across Central Minnesota in March, including Avon, Ogilvie, Mora, Brainerd, Wadena, Hinckley, Foley, St. Cloud, Pillager, Milaca, Little Falls, North Branch, Crosby, Askov, Long Prairie, Rush City, Sandstone, Staples, Big Lake, Sartell, Paynesville, St. Joseph and Pierz.

• Avon: Monday, March 1, 1 to 2 pm — Avon Food Shelf, 212 1st St SW, Avon, MN 56310
• Ogilvie: Tuesday, March 2, 11 am to 12 pm — Ogilvie Museum, 102 N Hill Ave, Ogilvie, MN 56358
• Mora: Tuesday, March 2, 12 to 1 pm — First Presbyterian Church, 551 S Wood St, Mora, MN 55051
• Brainerd: Wednesday, March 3, 11 am to 12:30 pm — North Star Apartments, 410 E River Rd, Brainerd, MN 56401
• Brainerd: Thursday, March 4, 11 am to 1 pm — Brainerd Lakes Salvation Army, 208 S 5th St, Brainerd, MN 56401
• Wadena: Thursday, March 4, 1 to 2 pm — Immanuel Lutheran Church, 403 2nd St SE, Wadena, MN 56482
• Hinckley: Friday, March 5, 10 to 11:30 am — Hinckley Community Center, 102 Dunn Ave N, Hinckley, MN 55037
• Foley: Monday, March 8, 11 am to 1 pm — Foley Area CARE, 321 6th Ave, Foley, MN 56329
• St. Cloud: Monday, March 8, 11 am to 1 pm — First Presbyterian Church, 340 5th Ave S, St. Cloud, MN 56301
• St. Cloud: Tuesday, March 9, 1 to 3 pm — Catholic Charities Emergency Services, 157 Roosevelt Rd, St Cloud, MN 56301
• Pillager: Thursday, March 11, 12 to 4 pm — Pillager Area Family Center, 305 Fir Ave, Pillager, MN 56473
• Milaca: Thursday, March 11, 2 to 3:30 pm — Alliance Church, 12543 MN-23, Milaca, MN 56353
• Little Falls: Friday, March 12, 10 to 11 am — Little Falls Senior Center, 510 7th St NE, Little Falls, MN 56345
• North Branch: Saturday, March 13, 9:30 to 11:30 am — Ruby's Pantry, 4359 392nd St, North Branch, MN 55056
• Crosby: Monday, March 15, 11 am to 12:30 pm — Cuyuna Regional Medical Center, 320 E Main St, Crosby, MN 56441
• Askov: Tuesday, March 16, 1 to 2:30 pm — Askov Community Center, 6369 Kobmagergade, Askov, MN 55704
• Long Prairie: Wednesday, March 17, 10 to 11:30 am — Long Prairie Food Distribution Center, 127 Central Ave, Long Prairie, MN 56347
• Rush City: Thursday, March 18, 10 to 11:30 am at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 425 S Frandsen Ave, Rush City, MN 55069
• Sandstone: Thursday, March 18, 1 to 2:30 pm — Pine Habilitation and Supported Employment, Inc. (PHASE), 106 Main St, Sandstone, MN 55072
• Staples: Thursday, March 18, 2 to 5:30 pm — Lakewood Health System (Senior Campus by gazebo), 401 Prairie Ave NE, Staples, MN 56479
• Sartell: Monday, March 22, 8 to 10:30 am — Celebration Lutheran Church, 1500 Pine Cone Rd N, Sartell, MN 56377
• St. Cloud: Tuesday, March 23, 1 to 3 pm — Catholic Charities Emergency Services, 157 Roosevelt Rd, St Cloud, MN 56301
• Paynesville: Wednesday, March 24, 1 to 2:30 pm — Green Roof Area Center, 1105 W Main St, Paynesville, MN 56362
• St. Joseph: Thursday, March 25, 10:30 am to 12 pm — Resurrection Lutheran Church, 610 Co Rd 2, St Joseph, MN 56374
• Pierz: Friday, March 26, 10 am to 12 pm — Fellowship Bible Church, 12876 MN-25, Pierz, MN 56364
• Big Lake: Monday, March 29, 10 am to 12 pm — Big Lake Township's Lions Park , 21960 Co Rd 5, Big Lake, MN 55309
• Sartell: Wednesday, March 31, 9:30 to 11 am — Sartell Community Center, 125 Pine Cone Rd N, Sartell, MN 56377

The Senior Dining Frozen Meal Expansion Project started in August 2020 and additional locations are continually being added. At the time of writing, 26 locations for the month of March 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.

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.

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 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.