Minnesota Center Chorale to perform For the Earth
For the Earth, a Minnesota Center Chorale concert featuring “Song of Wisdom from Old Turtle” by Sartell resident Doug Wood, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 12 at the Paramount Theater, 913 W. St. Germain, St. Cloud. Tickets are available at the door or by visiting minnesotacenterchorale.org.
Auditions set May 22, 23 for GNTC’s Annie the Musical
Auditions for Great Northern Theatre Company’s performances of Annie the Musical will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, May 22 and 23 at Rocori High School, 534 Fifth St. N., Cold Spring. Watch for signs directing you to the location.Show dates are Aug. 2, 3, 4 and 5 and Aug. 10, 11 and 12. For more information, visit publicist@gntc1.com.
Fare for All set May 14
Fare for All’s next distribution will be from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Monday, May 14, at Resurrection Lutheran Church, 610 CR 2, St. Joseph. Fare for All is a budget-stretching program that allows people to save up to 40 percent off fresh fruits, vegetables and frozen meats. Distribution is once a month. This month’s Hot Buys are white meat turkey burgers and breaded chicken patties. This event is open to everyone who wants to stretch their grocery dollar. Cash, credit, debit cards and EBT cards are accepted. For more information visit our website at fareforall.org or call 800-582-4291.
Pinecone Road closure on Saturday, May 26
Pinecone Road from Seventh Street to 40th Street will be completely closed to traffic from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 26 for the Sartell Apple Duathlon. Avoid travel or be prepared to stop on Seventh Street N. and on 2-½ Street between Pinecone and Second Avenue because of cyclists and runners. The Apple Duathlon is a local, nonprofit race whose proceeds are returned to the community through donations to local service agencies and, this year, to Dan Amberg, a Minnesota paraplegic in need of a hand-crank bike. Come out and cheer on the racers!
Volunteers needed for Apple Duathlon
Support the local race and your community by volunteering to help with the Sartell Apple Duathlon kids’ race on Friday evening, May 25, and with the adult race on Saturday morning, May 26. We need people to staff registration and manage packet pickup, staff food tents and water stations, supervise parking, direct racers and more. Organizations who provide at least eight volunteers may earn $100 for your organization. All volunteers receive a 2018 Apple Duathlon T-shirt. Bring a friend. Contact volunteer@appleduathlon.com to sign up.
Stamp Out Hunger drive is May 12
Stamp Out Hunger will return to Central Minnesota on Saturday, May 12. This one-day, national food drive is hosted by the National Association of Letter Carriers. In the St. Cloud area the drive will benefit the Salvation Army Food Shelf and Catholic Charities Emergency Services Food Shelf.
To participate, residents should leave nonperishable food items near their mail box on the morning of May 12. Cash and checks will also be accepted. Checks can be written out to either Catholic Charities or the Salvation Army.
If you live outside the St. Cloud area, check with you local postmaster to confirm your area’s participation.
Find more information at http://www.stampouthungerfooddrive.us/
Volunteers needed to move furniture
Catholic Charities is looking for volunteers to move furniture from one floor to another at their location near St. Cloud State University. This includes disassembling bed frames and moving them, mattresses, desks, dressers and other medium to large furniture. Groups of six or more volunteers for up to four hours would work well. Volunteers are also needed to sort items and carrying items to a trash bin or a designated area to be picked up by other organizations. Groups of four or more for four to eight hours would work well. Contact Mike Gallagher, Catholic Charities, at 320-650-1591 or mike.gallagher@ccstcloud.org.
Adopt a garden
Catholic Charities has flower beds that need care on a weekly (or bi-weekly) yet flexible, schedule. Starting in the spring, the beds may need raking and cleaning out before new flowers and/or bushes are planted. During the summer, weekly weeding, trimming, and pruning are needed. This project is good for many ages, with supervised children encouraged. Contact Kris Roberts, Catholic Charities volunteer coordinator, at 320-229-4590 or kris.roberts@ccstcloud.org.
Become a mentor 1 hour a week
Make a new friend by mentoring a child in the child’s school. Mentors play games, hang out in the gym, and go to the library or computer lab. Mentors meet weekly in the child’s school. The relationship is designed as a one-year commitment with nine months of that commitment being in person. Throughout the summer, contact with your Little Brother or Sister can be done over the phone, through email or by writing letters. This relationship can later be extended into the traditional Big Brothers Big Sisters community based relationship. Contact Rachel, Big Brothers Big Sisters at 320-253-1616.
Friends of the Library needs volunteers
St. Cloud Friends of the Library is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports the Great River Regional Library. Volunteers staff a bookstore in the library, sort donations of books and other materials, stock shelves in the bookstore and determine value of collectable, vintage, signed or other valuable books. Volunteers are needed in two-hour shifts every other week (training is provided). Contact Marcia Neely, St. Cloud Friends of the Library, at 320-428-1714 or marciagarden@yahoo.com.
Industrial sewing machine instructors needed
Hands Across the World provides the first learning opportunity to newly arrived immigrants who do not have language or living skills necessary to thrive. Volunteers are needed to instruct students on how to use an industrial sewing machine. It is important to Hands Across the World that adults not only learn the core education skills but also skills for employment. The times needed are Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon t 2:30 p.m.. Contact Brianda Cediel, executive director, at 320-260-1072 or info@handsacrosstheworldmn.org.
Food shelf seeks help
The Salvation Army Food Shelf hopes to expand its hours to an evening shift on Mondays to accommodate clients who cannot come during the day. Individuals, churches or groups are needed for a month to help annually starting in June. Training will start in May. Regular shifts also available. The hours will be Mondays from 3:30-7:30 p.m. and start times could be adjusted. Volunteers will assist clients in the selection of dry goods, pull cooler items or record pounds. Contact Barbara Nelson at 320-257-7435 or barb_nelson@usc.salvationarmy.org.
Author: Janelle Von Pinnon
Von Pinnon has been publishing the St. Joseph Newsleader since 1989, the Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader since 1995 and the Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader since 2015. She graduated from Minnesota State University-Moorhead with degrees in mass communications (with an emphasis on print journalism) and biology. She lives in southeast St. Cloud with her husband and two children.