Dec. 19

Joe Town Table serves meals Dec. 21

Community organizations band together to host Joe Town Table from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21 at the American Legion in St. Joseph. This free meal serves as an opportunity for socialization among neighbors and friends. Volunteers serve up a warm meal for area residents to enjoy.

No Newsleader published Dec. 26

The Newsleader office will be closed Dec. 22-26. A Dec. 26 edition will not be published. The office will reopen on Monday, Dec. 29 and will resume weekly publications beginning Jan. 2.

Teens, kids can read down library fines

The Great River Regional Library is giving teens and children the ability to read down their fines and become active library users again during the two week holiday break, from Monday-Saturday, Dec. 22-Jan. 3. During that time, minors 16 and younger with fines on their cards will be welcome to read at the library. For each 15 minutes of reading, $1 will be waived from the fines on their accounts. In the case of very young children with fines, parents will be able to help by reading to their children in a similar way.

During that time, all 32 GRRL branches will participate in this event.

The library held its initial Read Down Your Fines week in June 2013. The most recent was in October 2014, when just more than 130 minors participated. The average amount of time spent reading was one-and-a-half hours. The overdue charge on children’s materials is 10 cents per day. However, minors who check out adult materials are asked to pay adult overdue charges of $1 a day for DVDs and 25 cents per day for other materials. The maximum fine for each item checkout or renewal is $6.

Read Down Your Fines is supported by library fundraising, which ensures the loss of fines does not have a negative effect on budgets. It only applies to charges that have accumulated for late return of items. It does not apply to charges for lost or damaged materials. Young people who want to read down their fines should speak with library staff as local procedures may vary.

GRRL provides library services at 32 public libraries in Stearns, Benton, Sherburne, Morrison, Todd and Wright counties. It provides Central Minnesota residents with nearly 1 million books, CDs and DVDs, 250 public computers, programming and information services.

Family Fun Fest scheduled for New Year’s Eve 

Join the New Year’s Eve Family Fun Fest from 5-10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31 in St. Cloud State University’s Halenbeck Hall, Husky Dome and Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Central Minnesota’s premier, family-focused New Year’s Eve party returns with an array of activities, games, crafts, sports, music and food. Purchase tickets at scsu.mn/1wwPoK1, at 320-308-2137 and at the Brooks Center ticket windows, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Parking is free in K Lot, south of the Brooks Center. Families should enter New Year’s Eve Family Fun Fest through the Brooks Center lobby. For more information, call Sports Facilities and Campus Recreation at 320-308-3325.

United Way volunteer opportunities

Read newspapers for people who are blind

Minnesota Services for the Blind needs volunteers to read newspapers to people who are blind in St. Cloud.  Two volunteers read the St. Cloud Times and other community newspapers daily at the KVSC radio station at St. Cloud State University.  Volunteers should be able to commit to two evenings a month for two hours each.  Volunteers must take an oral reading test. Contact Rita Woeste at 320-293-2273 or ritawoeste@gmail.com.

Volunteer to help with tax returns

Tri-CAP’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program offers free tax help to low- to moderate-income (generally, $50,000 and below) people who cannot prepare their own tax returns. Certified volunteers sponsored by Tri-CAP receive training to help prepare basic tax returns in communities across the country. The Tri-CAP VITA sites are located right here in Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties. All locations also offer free electronic filing. Contact Tri-CAP at 320-257-4505 or e-mail taxes@tricap.org to volunteer.

Food shelf help

The Salvation Army helps individuals and families in St. Cloud who find themselves in need of assistance. They are looking for volunteers to help in their food shelf. Their biggest need is Friday afternoon from 1-3 p.m. Contact Barb Nelson, the Salvation Army, at 320-257-7435.

Winter donations

Donations of coats, weather-proof mittens, hats and scarves for all ages are needed for the cold winter months. Anna Marie’s Alliance – 320-253-6900; Catholic Charities – 320-229-4560; CROSS Center in Foley – 320-968-7012; The Salvation Army – 320-252-4552; and Place of Hope – 320-203-7881 all accept these donations.

Veterans visiting veterans

Veterans on hospice may enjoy having a volunteer who is also a veteran listen and share their memories of military service. As a hospice volunteer, you would provide socialization, companionship and the unique opportunity for a veteran to receive end-of-life support from another veteran. Heartland Hospice serves clients in their own homes or in facilities within a 60-mile radius of St. Cloud. You decide how much time you want to volunteer and how far you are willing to travel. Contact Keshia Kettler-Herrmann, Heartland Hospice, at 320-654-1136.

Prepare meals for women’s shelter

Anna Marie’s Alliance is looking for small groups of men and women (teenagers welcome if supervised by an adult) to prepare meals for residents on the weekends. Volunteers will prepare a menu of their choice or one can be selected for them. Time commitment is three hours on a Saturday or Sunday. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to eat with the residents. They ask groups try to commit to one shift a month. Anna Marie’s Alliance mission is to provide a safe place for victims of domestic abuse and to achieve systems change that reduces violence. Contact Kim Salitros, Anna Marie’s Alliance volunteer coordinator, at 320-253-6900.

For more information, contact Mary Krippner, United Way volunteer engagement coordinator, at 320-223-7991 or mkrippner@unitedwayhelps.org.

No snow, no skiing in Stearns County parks

The cross-country ski trails at Quarry Park and Nature Preserve, Warner Lake County Park, Kraemer Lake – Wildwood County Park and Mississippi River County Park have many sections with no snow, and thus trails cannot be groomed. However, winter walking, dog walking, snowshoeing and fat-tire bicycle trails are useable. Some sections of these trails are very icy. The packing of the walking, dog walking, snowshoeing and fat -ire bike and the grooming of the cross-country ski trails will start when there is approximately 6 inches of new snow.

2015 Top Doc nominations sought

Nominations for the 2015 Minnesota Family Physician of the Year will be accepted in writing through Monday, Jan. 12. If you feel your family physician stands out in your community/clinic, cares for patients in an extraordinary way and deserves to be recognized for a job well done, you’re encouraged to write a letter describing how the candidate has made a difference in the lives of their patients. The letter should also explain the candidate’s outstanding personal and professional qualities and community involvement.  The award will be presented in April, while finalists will be listed at mafp.org in mid-February. Nomination letters can be emailed to kthorson@mafp.com or mailed to the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians office at 600 S. Highway 169, Suite #1680, St. Louis Park, Minn. 55426.

Is sump pump operational?

The City of Sartell is urging residents to check to make sure their sump pumps are in working order. Because of recent rains and water build-up, water may be getting into sump pumps, causing them to fill with water. People should take a few minutes to see if the sump pump is operational and its discharge hose is not coiled up against the house, kinked or possibly frozen.