St. Joseph Farmers’ Market celebrates spring fever
St. Joseph Farmers’ Market will celebrate the first day of spring from 3-6 p.m. Friday, March 20 at Resurrection Lutheran Church fellowship hall, 610 CR 2. Start your spring off right by shopping locally and eating healthy. Many Easter goods are available, and even some plants to get you in the mood! Learn more online at stjosephfarmersmarket.com.
Easter egg hunt set for St. Stephen
The city of St. Stephen will host an Easter egg hunt at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 28 at Smoley Fields upper field. Bring your Easter basket, bucket or bag. Door prizes will be awarded. See you out there.
Parking restrictions lifted early in St. Joseph
The St. Joseph City Council members voted unanimously at their Monday meeting to lift winter-parking restrictions two weeks earlier than usual, effective immediately. Parking restrictions are typically in effect from 2-7 p.m. Nov. 1 to April 1 in a given year to allow plows to remove snow from city streets.
Fire department hosts CPR training class
The St. Joseph Fire Department will host a CPR training class free to residents of St. Joseph and St. Joseph and St. Wendel townships from 6-9 p.m. Monday, April 20 and Wednesday, April 22 at the fire hall. Only one day is required. Space is limited to 30. To register, call the city at 320-363-7201.
Special hunting opportunity for people with disabilities at two Stearns County parks
A turkey hunt for people with disabilities will take place in April at Stearns County’s Rockville Park and Nature Preserve and at Spring Hill County Park. The parks will be closed to the general public during these hunts, which are scheduled for April 15-19, 20-24 and 25-29.
Hunters will be able to use shotguns. Hunting will be limited to portable ground blinds.
Hunters will be selected and supervised by Midwest Outdoors Unlimited for each of the hunts. The mission of the group is to provide outdoor recreational activities for disabled veterans, disabled individuals and disabled youth in Minnesota. Each disabled hunter will be accompanied by at least one able-bodied person while in the park.
People interested in participating can get an application from Midwest Outdoors Unlimited, c/o Ron Welle, 28791 325th Ave., Melrose, Minn. 56352 or midwestoutdoorsunlimited@yahoo.com Completed applications must be returned to the previously listed addresses by April 1.
The 284-acre Rockville County Park is west of Rockville’s Eagle Park and Stearns CR 139 on Sauk River Road. It includes more than a mile of Sauk River shoreline and natural features such as granite outcroppings and hardwood forests. Completed developments in the park include a bridge, trails, bathrooms, equestrian area and observation deck.
The largest portion of the park, 194 acres, was donated by long-time environmental advocates John and Linda Peck. The county purchased the remaining land in 2007.
The 82-acre Spring Hill County Park is located in central Stearns County along the Sauk River. It’s a beautiful location for a family get-together, fishing and canoe camping.
March is Food Share Month
March is Food Share Month in Minnesota where donations are matched during the month. During this time of significant economic distress, many area families are using local food shelves more than ever before. Consider leveraging the match by running a food drive within your work place, church or service club and donate to your local food shelf. For more information on this and other United Way volunteer opportunities, visit thenewsleaders.com and click on March 20 criers.
United Way Volunteer Opportunities
Girl Scouts in ACTION group facilitator
Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Lakes and Pines is looking for volunteers to help guide girls in a six-week after-school program providing homework help, fun activities and a healthy snack (groups meet one day per week for two hours). Using their pre-planned curriculum and supplies, a group of volunteers at each site will help girls participate in age-appropriate activities, which help girls explore their community and their world. Girls will also earn the Girl Scout Safety Award as they learn how to stay safe in their home, school and community. Girl Scouts provides training for all adult volunteers for the program and each volunteer is paired with at least one other facilitator or group helper for the site. Contact Chasidi Funk, Girl Scouts in ACTION specialist, at 320-252-2952.
Help with pet adoption
Tri County Humane Society is looking for volunteers to attend offsite adoption events at Petco and/or Petsmart. Volunteers will staff a Tri-County humane society informational booth and transport animals for adoption to the events. The volunteer spends time socializing the animals, assists customers in meeting animals, processes adoption paperwork and provides information to customers. The events are roughly four hours and they ask for a once-a-month commitment. Contact Rose Hegerle, Tri-County Humane Society, at 320-252-0896 ext. 27.
Dispatcher for the American Red Cross
The Red Cross responds to small and large disasters. Locally, the Disaster Action Team responds about 100 times a year, mostly to home or apartment fires. When a home or apartment building burns, DAT volunteers assist residents with many of the same services provided to clients affected by floods, tornadoes and other disasters. Dispatchers ensure appropriate and timely response to disaster calls and provide off-site guidance to responding DAT members. They receive disaster calls from the Red Cross switchboard and activate trained volunteers to respond to each disaster. Dispatchers serve as off-site point-of-contact for responders and trainees throughout responses, activate Client Assistance Cards used in the field, and assist responders with referrals and hotel selection as needed during responses. This might be a great fit if you have day or evening hours available, as on-call shifts take place during both daytime and nighttime hours. You will be behind the scenes coordinating volunteers and information, and that works best if you have strong communication skills and are comfortable with technology. A minimum commitment of eight on-call shifts per month required. (On-call shifts vary in length.) Contact Amber Christie, American Red Cross volunteer coordinator, at 320-251-7641.
March is Food Share Month
March is Food Share Month in Minnesota where donations are matched during the month. During this time of significant economic distress, many area families are using local food shelves more than ever before. Consider leveraging the match by running a food drive within your work place, church or service club and donate to your local food shelf. Contact any of the following three: Catholic Charities Emergency Services at 320-229-4560; C.R.O.S.S. Center of Benton County at 320-968-7012; or The Salvation Army at 320-252-4552.
Food shelf help
The Salvation Army is looking for volunteers to help in their food shelf to bag and distribute food to clients in need. They have a variety of shifts available to accommodate your schedule. Contact Shannon Smithers, special events coordinator, at 320-252-4552.
For more information, contact Mary Krippner, United Way volunteer engagement coordinator, at 320-223-7991 or mkrippner@unitedwayhelps.org.