Community Emergency Services Inc

PROVIDE DIRECT SERVICE TO ASSIST PEOPLE IN MEETING BASIC PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS.

FOOD SHELF: CES SERVES SOUTH, SOUTHEAST, LORING NICOLLET WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE HISTORICALLY CHALLENGED PHILLIPS NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH IS WHERE WE MAKE OUR HOME. IT TOOK ALMOST 1,000 VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST THE FOOD SHELF PROGRAMS, EQUALING APPROXIMATELY 3,740 HOURS OF SERVICE TO OVER 24,200 INDIVIDUALS WHO RECEIVED ALMOST 350,000 POUNDS OF FOOD AND HYGIENE ITEMS. THE CES FOOD SHELF REACHED 35-45 HOUSEHOLDS PER DAY, WHICH IS ALMOST 25% MORE THAN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. DURING THE HEIGHT OF COVID, CES FOOD SHELF CREATED AND IMPLEMENTED A HYBRID MODEL OF SERVICE PROVISION. THIS MODEL REMAINED IN USE DUE TO THE CONTINUOUSLY CHANGING COVID PROTOCOLS. THE HYBRID MODEL OFFERED PRE-PACKED CULTURALLY INSPIRED FOOD BAGS ALONG WITH SOME CHOICE ITEMS (DAIRY, MEAT, PRODUCE, DRY BEANS, COOKING STAPLES). VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF HELPED FILL OUT A SHOPPING LIST FOR EACH CLIENT. TO ENSURE THAT VISITORS SPEAKING ALL LANGUAGES COULD CHOOSE THE FOODS THEY WANTED, ALL THE FOOD CHOICES HAD A PHOTO OR PHYSICAL EXAMPLE, SO CLIENTS COULD SIMPLY POINT TO THE ITEMS THEY WANT. ALL SIGNAGE AND INFORMATIONAL FLIERS ARE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES, AND WE'VE TRANSLATED A PORTION OF OUR WEBSITE TO SPANISH. APPROXIMATELY 70% OF THOSE SERVED, DURING FISCAL YEAR 2022 (APRIL 1, 2021-MARCH 31, 2022), SELF-REPORTED AS BEING HISPANIC, CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF CES FOOD SHELF. TO ADAPT TO THIS CHANGE, WE USED OVER HALF OF OUR FOOD BUDGET TO PROVIDE MORE CULTURALLY SPECIFIC AND CULTURALLY UNIVERSAL FOODS. IN A FOOD SHELF PARTICIPANT SURVEY IN FY 22, 63% OF RESPONDENTS INDICATED THEY WERE MANAGING A CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITION (E.G., HEART DISEASE, DIABETES, ETC.) SO CES CONTINUED TO PRIORITIZE THE DISTRIBUTION OF FRESH PRODUCE, LEAN PROTEINS, WHOLE GRAINS, AND OTHER HEALTHY FOOD STAPLES.

HOME DELIVERY: HOME DELIVERY (HD) PROVIDED MONTHLY DELIVERIES OF HEALTHY AND CULTURALLY FAMILIAR GROCERIES TO 400+ UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS ALONG WITH A MONTHLY VISIT AND WELLNESS CHECK THAT EQUIP CLIENTS TO LIVE INDEPENDENTLY. TO QUALIFY, HD CLIENTS MUST BE AT OR BELOW 200% OF FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES. WITH THE DUAL IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC AND THE RISING COST OF FOOD, A GROWING NUMBER OF THOSE IN NEED DEVELOPED. AS A RESULT, 80+ HD CLIENTS WERE PLACED ON A WAITING LIST. OUR HOME DELIVERY PROGRAM, WE OFFERED A FULL CHOICE MODEL. CLIENTS RECEIVED A SHOPPING LIST OR WERE CONTACTED VIA A PHONE CALL AND COULD FREELY SELECT ITEMS FROM DIFFERENT CATEGORIES (INCLUDING MANY CULTURALLY SPECIFIC OPTIONS). VOLUNTEERS PRE-PACKED THE GROCERIES FOR EACH CLIENT AND DELIVERED THEM TO RECIPIENTS ON A SPECIFIED DAY, PROVIDING FREE NUTRITIOUS FOOD ALONG WITH A FRIENDLY VISIT. ALTOGETHER, IT TOOK WELL OVER 500 VOLUNTEERS TO FILL THE ORDERS, PACK, AND DELIVER THE FOOD. THIS EQUALS ABOUT 1,250 VOLUNTEER HOURS OF SERVICE. THE RECIPIENTS RECEIVED 30-35 POUNDS OF FOOD AND HYGIENE ONCE A MONTH, INCLUDING MEAT, EGGS AND DAIRY PRODUCTS, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL FRESH PRODUCE. DURING THE PANDEMIC, HD EXPERIENCED NOTABLE INCREASES IN THE RACIAL, ETHNIC AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY OF PARTICIPANTS. HD CLIENTS SELF-IDENTIFIED AS 66% EAST/WEST AFRICAN, 16% AFRICAN AMERICAN, 15% CAUCASIAN, 2% HISPANIC/LATIN-X, AND 1% NATIVE AMERICAN. TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL HD PARTICIPANTS, CES INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF CULTURALLY FAMILIAR FOODS. ADDITIONALLY, A PHONE CALL TO CLIENTS WAS MADE SO THEY COULD REQUEST CULTURALLY OR DIETARY SPECIFIC ITEMS NOT OFFERED ON THE LIST. RISING FOOD EXPENSES ALSO STRAINED CES' BUDGET. IN FACT, WE INCREASED OUR FOOD PURCHASING BUDGET BY 60% TO MEET THE NEED. WE PURCHASED WHAT WE COULD (WITH AVAILABLE BUDGETS) AND WORKED WITH FOOD DRIVE PARTNERS, LOCAL CONGREGATIONS, ETC. TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL REQUESTED ITEMS. SINCE A LARGE PORTION OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS ARE IMMIGRANTS FROM EAST AND WEST AFRICA, OUR HOME DELIVERY PROGRAM REGULARLY OFFERED GOAT MEAT, FISH, LARGER QUANTITIES OF FRESH PRODUCE, FLOUR, SUGAR, RICE, DATES FOR RAMADAN, ETC. AGAIN DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, THE NEED INCREASED WHILE THE VOLUNTEER POOL DECREASED, CREATING A STRAIN ON THE DELIVERY PROCESS. IN FY 22, 85% WERE SENIORS AND THE REMAINING 15% WERE ADULTS (NON-SENIORS). DURING A YEARLY SURVEY, MANY INDICATE THEY HAD A DISABILITY OR HEALTH CONDITION THAT KEPT THEM HOMEBOUND. HOME DELIVERY PROVIDED ALMOST 172,000 POUNDS OF HEALTHY AND CULTURALLY FAMILIAR GROCERIES TO OVER 3,900 HOMEBOUND SENIORS AND THE DISABLED.

MOW: THE LARGEST MEALS ON WHEELS (MOW) PROGRAM IN MINNESOTA, CES MOW PROVIDED DAILY DELIVERY TO AN AVERAGE OF 330-340 HOMEBOUND SENIORS AND DISABLED ADULTS OF HOT OR FROZEN MEALS (DEPENDING ON THE CLIENT'S PREFERENCE), A FRIENDLY SMILE AND A DAILY VISIT AND WELLNESS CHECK. THE PURPOSE OF CES MOW IS TO ASSIST PEOPLE TO LIVE IN THEIR HOMES RATHER THAN INSTITUTIONS, PROVIDING THEM A QUALITY OF LIFE WHILE AT THE SAME TIME A SAVINGS TO GOVERNMENT SOCIAL PROGRAMS. MOW SERVED APPROXIMATELY 475 UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS ANNUALLY. 66% OF THESE CLIENTS WERE SENIORS, AND THE REMAINING 34% WERE ADULTS (NON-SENIORS) THAT HAVE A DISABILITY OR UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITION THAT KEPT THEM HOMEBOUND. MOW WAS OPEN TO ALL SENIORS AND ADULTS WHO WERE HOMEBOUND, BUT 98% OF CLIENTS WERE LOW-INCOME AND UNABLE TO PRIVATELY PAY FOR THEIR MEALS. MOW CLIENTS SELF-IDENTIFIED AS 42% AFRICAN/AFRICAN AMERICAN, 35% CAUCASIAN, 12% ASIAN, 4% NATIVE AMERICAN, 3% HISPANIC/LATIN-X, AND 4% UNREPORTED/OTHER. THESE CLIENTS LIVE IN THE PHILLIPS COMMUNITY, SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS, LORING NICOLLET AREA, DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS, AND NORTH MINNEAPOLIS. WITHOUT CES MOW, MANY OF OUR CLIENTS WOULD EXPERIENCE HUNGER OR END UP IN AN INSTITUTION. DURING THE PANDEMIC, THE WAY MEALS WERE DELIVERED CHANGED WITH LESS CONTACT WITH THOSE WHO WERE NOW MORE ISOLATED THAN EVER. BECAUSE OF THIS ISOLATION, TELECARE (A TELEPHONE WELL CHECK AND CONVERSATION PROGRAM) BEGAN. WITH THE HELP OF OVER 60 VOLUNTEERS EQUALING ALMOST 100 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER TIME, THE TELECARE PROGRAM CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC AND BEYOND AS A VIABLE PART OF MOW. DURING FISCAL YEAR 2022, THERE WERE OVER 75,500 MEALS SERVED BY OVER 2,000 VOLUNTEERS. THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS DROPPED SUBSTANTIALLY DURING THIS FISCAL YEAR DUE TO THE CONSTRAINTS OF THE PANDEMIC, YET THERE WERE FAITHFUL PEOPLE WHO CAME TO SERVE IN SPITE OF THE RISKS. THESE VOLUNTEERS LOGGED OVER 4,000 HOURS. CES, ALONG WITH AREA ORGANIZATIONS, OPERATED A CENTRAL COMMISSARY TO PREPARE AND PACKAGE CATERED MEALS FOR A COALITION OF MOW PROGRAMS THAT SAVED COUNTLESS FUNDS. DURING THE HOLIDAYS, MOW DELIVERED HOLIDAY MEALS (THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS EVE), HOLIDAY GIFTS, AND HOLIDAY CHEER. HOUSEHOLD ESSENTIALS (HOME GOODS, CLEANING, AND HYGIENE PRODUCTS) WERE PROVIDED TO CLIENTS IN NEED, WHICH INCLUDED FANS TO THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE AIR CONDITIONING IN THE SUMMER, AS WELL AS WINTER JACKETS, HATS, AND MITTENS TO CLIENTS WHO DO NOT HAVE ADEQUATE WINTER GEAR. OUR ANI-MEALS PROGRAM CONTINUED TO DELIVER MONTHLY PET FOOD, ROUTINE AND EMERGENCY VETERINARY CARE AND VITAL PET SUPPLIES TO ABOUT 100 MEALS ON WHEELS CLIENTS, SERVICING AN ANNUAL TOTAL OF 170+PETS WITH OVER 15,850 POUNDS OF PET FOOD. FOR MANY OF THESE HOMEBOUND CLIENTS, A PET PROVIDES VIAL COMPANIONSHIP, BUT MANY CLIENTS SHARED THEIR FOOD WITH THEIR PETS AS THEY STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. WITH ANI-MEALS BOTH THE CLIENT AND THE PET RECEIVE NUTRITIOUS FOOD.

ONE THING THAT SETS CES APART, IS OUR ONE-TO-ONE CARING. CES SEEKS TO HELP CLIENTS MEET THEIR NEEDS THROUGH SUPPORT TO MOVE BEYOND CRISIS BY TAKING TIME TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WHEREBY PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO MOVE INTO A PRODUCTIVE LIFE. IF CES IS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A SERVICE, WE HAVE AN EXTENSIVE LIST OF OTHER RESOURCES/ORGANIZATIONS THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP THAT PERSON'S SPECIFIC NEED. IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, ALMOST 3,750 INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES RECEIVED ABOUT $33,665 IN AID AND 580 REFERRALS WERE MADE TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OR ADDITIONAL SERVICES. HOWEVER, CES PROVIDED GAS OR BUS TOKENS FOR A CLIENT TO GET TO WORK, GIFTS FOR SENIORS, BIBLES, YEARLY BACKPACKS AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES, OCCASIONAL GIFT CARDS, UTILITY ASSISTANCE (SPECIFICALLY FOR WATER), ELECTRICITY TO KEEP PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES AND MONETARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS, AS FUNDS WERE AVAILABLE,.DURING FISCAL YEAR 22, THE LANDSCAPE OF CES FOOD SHELF CHANGED. APPROXIMATELY 70% OF THOSE SERVED, SELF-REPORTED AS BEING HISPANIC. TO ADAPT TO THIS CHANGE, WE EMPLOYED 3 BI-LINGUAL STAFF, ALONG WITH SEVERAL VOLUNTEERS WHO SPEAK FLUENT SPANISH, WHICH EQUIPPED CES TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS OF THOSE WE SERVE. WE'VE DEVELOPED A SPANISH GUIDE WITH SIMPLE PHRASES AND VOCABULARY FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS TO STUDY AND USE WHILE ASSISTING CLIENTS THROUGH THE FOOD SHELF.AS THE RIPPLE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC CONTINUED, CES EXPERIENCED HIGH DEMAND AND A GROWING DIVERSITY OF CLIENTS ACROSS ALL OUR PROGRAMS. CES FOOD SHELF SERVED AN AVERAGE OF 140 INDIVIDUALS PER DAY (36 HOUSEHOLDS). THIS NUMBER CONTINUED TO GROW. PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, CES FOOD SHELF SERVED A DAILY AVERAGE OF 110 INDIVIDUALS (29 HOUSEHOLDS). THIS INCREASE IN DAILY VISITS QUICKLY ADDED UP AND PLACED A SIGNIFICANT BURDEN ON OUR BUDGET; ESPECIALLY AS INFLATION INCREASED FOOD PRICES. UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON'T SEE ANY SIGNS OF THE HEIGHTENED DEMAND SLOWING IN THE NEAR FUTURE AS THE ECONOMY CONTINUES TO IMPACT OUR NEIGHBORS.