A very happy birthday to the one and only Virginia (Ginger) Milbert! On June 26th, we celebrated a very special birthday at Neighbors - Virginia, our longest serving volunteer, turned 102 years young. Virginia has been with Neighbors since day one and remembers when it operated out of a small storage closet at a local [...]
Compartiendo Esperanza: Speaking With Latinos About Mental Health NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is offering services, resources and free classes to the Latino community every Tuesday from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. at Neighbors, Inc. Lack of information and misconceptions that surround mental health issues prevent many members of the Latino community from getting [...]
Neighbors, Inc. held its 47th Annual Meeting and Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon in April at Augustana Lutheran Church in West St. Paul. This year's theme was "All-Stars" to recognize the all-star contributions of all of the dedicated volunteers who have given their time and talent to Neighbors over the past year. The following volunteers were recognized [...]
Every weekend during March, Clarice, a cashier at Menards, puts together a display of food items (including complete meal suggestions for under $2) at her register to sell to customers so they have an easy way to donate to Neighbors, Inc. during Minnesota FoodShare. The donation bins are located at the end of the register [...]
Today, I drove my car to the gym and back. I drove my daughter to preschool and then I drove to the office. During the day I drove my car to and from a meeting. And I will drive home. I did all of this when I either wanted or needed to and my car [...]
Somerset School has collected food for local food shelves for over twenty-five years. Their goal is to collect close to 1,200 food items each year. If every student and staff member donates 3 or more food items, they get very close to achieving their goal. The food drive lasts two weeks and each day has [...]
The 3M Film and Materials Resource Division has been volunteering in small groups at Neighbors on a monthly basis since July 2017. This is what they had to say about their experience: Describe your involvement with Neighbors: We usually work in the Food Shelf. Some of us have been volunteering at Neighbors over eight years. We [...]
Minnesota FoodShare Campaign Benefits Neighbors Annual March Food & Fundraising Drive Helps Stock the Shelves Donations of food and funds during the month of March are critical to keep the shelves stocked at Neighbors, Inc. “We count on the generosity of our donors during Minnesota Foodshare in March to help us provide for the hungry [...]
Join us on Saturday, February 2 at the Cub Foods locations in Inver Grove Heights and West St. Paul as we collect food and funds and bag your groceries - all to support Neighbors, Inc.! Volunteers from Neighbors will be on hand to help bag groceries and take donations of both food and funds to [...]
We have had several phone calls and inquiries about the effects of the government shutdown on our community members. At this point, the most direct effect we are seeing is the uncertainty it is causing people using SNAP (government issued food support) and the concerns of how the shutdown will impact their monthly benefits. Here [...]
December’s volunteer spotlight is Susan, one of our dedicated Holiday Gift Program volunteers. Susan works hard to make sure all of the families seeking holiday gift assistance have warm winter gear and clothing for their children. “I have enjoyed all of the aspects of (my) volunteering but it is especially rewarding to help with the [...]
This is the second year the Lakeville, Farmington and Apple Valley locations of Fantastic Sams have participated in the Neighbors' Holiday Gift Program by adopting several families. This is what one of their employees had to say about her experience: We wanted to do something for our community during the season of giving. We could [...]
Looking for a meaningful way to give back on Thanksgiving? Help us as we fight hunger (and have fun doing it!) The Walk to End Hunger is an indoor, family-friendly walk with lots of activities - such as face painters, fitness games, a food packing project and more. Find out what a past participant has [...]
Jessica became involved with the Neighbors’ Come As You Are program in her early 20’s when she began taking her younger brother to the bi-monthly events. She quickly transitioned from attendee to helping out as a volunteer and now she leads the events. Working alongside the Volunteer Department at Neighbors, Jessica helps coordinate the programs [...]
Students who are enrolled in the District 917 TESA (Transitional Education Service Alternative Program) program have been volunteering at the Neighbors food shelf since September 2016. Originally placed by VolunteerMatch, students in the TESA group acquire valuable volunteer experience on a weekly basis. TESA’s post high school program also gives students with disabilities between 18 [...]
Neighbors Clothes Closet Thrift Store Grand Reopening September 11, 2018 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. August 27, 2018 - For Immediate Release South St. Paul, Minn. – Neighbors, Inc. is pleased to announce the grand reopening of its thrift store, the Neighbors Clothes Closet. After a brief closure to refresh the store, the Neighbors Clothes [...]
A regular Neighbors Clothes Closet and Event Department Volunteer, Elise, recently also joined the team of volunteers that pick up extra produce at local Farmer’s Markets. Since she volunteers in a variety of ways for Neighbors, we wanted to ask her about her experiences. Q: What brought you to Neighbors? A: I remember my aunt [...]
Virginia has been an avid volunteer at Neighbors since 2012 when she responded to the agency’s plea for volunteers in a community newspaper. She considers it a privilege to be among the first volunteers to work at the agency’s Grand Avenue building in South Saint Paul. Previously, the agency was housed at another location. Neighbors is [...]
by Tim Spitzack From the May 2018 edition of the South St. Paul Voice** The tomato is one of the most universal vegetables in the world. OK, it’s technically a fruit but it’s commonly called a vegetable in cooking. This juicy red fruit (happy?) is grown and eaten on nearly every continent and is enjoyed [...]
Phil N. is an active volunteer transportation driver for Neighbors, Inc. with compassion for others. Initially recruited by a Neighbors’ staff member for the role while he was already a Neighbors’ food shelf volunteer, he transitioned into volunteer driving to transport residents of northern Dakota County to medical and dental appointments. He currently provides 2-3 [...]