The City of Minneapolis’ demographics are changing rapidly, and it is more important than ever to ensure that the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is meeting the needs of its diverse stakeholders. Therefore, the MPRB has embarked on a critical effort to develop a plan – RecQuest – for the next generation of recreation centers in Minneapolis.  And you can be a part of it!

Applications are now being accepted for potential members of the RecQuest Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to be appointed by the MPRB Board of Commissioners.  The charge of this CAC is to:

• Work collaboratively and provide input toward final project recommendations for approval by the Board of Commissioners.
• Become knowledgeable about the project and its scope and advise MPRB staff and consultants throughout the planning process.
• Contribute to broad community outreach and engagement by enhancing the project’s interaction with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Understand and represent the needs of all community members.
• Apply equity principles in decision-making based on training provided by staff and project consultants
• Report back to appointers or appointing bodies, as requested, on the plan process, information presented, and possible recommendations.
• Evaluate potential scenarios and deliver a preferred, actionable alternative for recreation centers and programs to the Board of Commissioners.

Application deadline is Friday, July 31 at 4pm.

More information can be found here.  Online application can be found here.

Store To Door is a nonprofit grocery shopping and delivery service to seniors, age 60+, delivering groceries throughout the seven county metro area.  They are committed to giving seniors personal, reliable access to their choice of food and household essentials so they can continue to live in their homes. With the support of volunteer Order Takers and Shoppers they are able to provide essential services to 1800 clients per year.

Volunteer Order Takers are critically needed.  Order Takers volunteer about one hour each week from home, calling clients and entering grocery orders in an online system.  They are assigned four seniors and call two one week and two the next week. Order Takers use their own phone and computer/tablet to connect to our online/internet ordering system. This grocery ordering system has Cub grocery items in it and orders are entered in it while the senior tells you their grocery order over the phone. Store To Door provides online training modules. This volunteer position can be done at home or during a lunch break as you have online access. Every fall/winter we add over 200 clients which means we need 50 new volunteer order takers each year. It’s fun and rewarding.  Visit www.storetodoor.org  to learn more!

Volunteer Shoppers work with a Store To Door store coordinators at one of six Cub locations (Bloomington, Chanhassen, Crystal, Midway-St Paul, Maplewood, St. Anthony). Volunteer Shoppers shop individual client orders, (6 a.m. to 10 a.m.) shopping the grocery orders, checking out orders and boxing grocery orders into totes. This position does not require driving as a paid Store To Door driver delivers groceries and collects client payment for groceries.

Volunteering inquiries for both positions can be made to Carolyn Swenson, Volunteer Coordinator, via email at [email protected] or by calling (651) 642-1892 and asking to speak with Carolyn.

Maintaining a home can be very difficult for an older adult living on a fixed income. Without services from a program like HOME (Household & Outside Maintenance for Elderly), Minnesota’s largest chore services program for seniors operated by Senior Community Services, many older people may continue to live in a home that is not up to their standards or be forced to move to a nursing home. The purpose of the HOME program is to help seniors to remain independent in a clean, safe environment by providing  accessible, reliable and affordable chore services.

In January 2015, Senior Community Services’ HOME program expanded to include Minneapolis, which allows the program to serve hundreds more seniors in Minneapolis, in addition to those already being served elsewhere in Hennepin County.

“Senior Community Services is pleased to bring Minneapolis seniors into our program. There is a growing need for services that help struggling and low-income seniors and caregivers maintain independence,” says CEO Deb Taylor. “Without this program, many seniors would have to trade their homes for a more structured, and more costly, senior facility. In addition, Minneapolis residents now have access to a broad array of other helpful services from us,” Taylor added.

Some of the chore services that the HOME program provides include:

• Vacuuming
• Dusting
• Sweeping/Mopping floors
• Cleaning bathrooms
• Cleaning kitchens
• Changing Bed Linens

For program details visit www.seniorcommunity.org/programs/h-o-m-e/ or call 952-746-4046

The Northeast Minneapolis Farmers Market is pleased to announce the opening of a new weekday market at The Grain Belt Apartments (1215 Marshall St. NE, Mpls, 55413). As always, fresh, locally grown produce, flowers, baked goods, jam, specialty foods, and cold treats will be available from a wide variety of local vendors. There will also be food trucks and great live music, too!

Come celebrate the new expansion and community spirit of the Northeast Farmers Market.

Thursdays, 4:00pm-7:00pm
July 9th – September 24th
1215 Marshall Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413

Support your local high school baseball team–The Edison Tommies–by attending the Florida Run Beer Bust and Silent Auction fundraiser. All proceeds will help the Tommies Baseball team travel to Florida in the Spring of 2016.

When: Friday, June 5
Where: Shaw’s Bar and Grill (1528 University Ave NE)
Time: 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Suggested $10 door cover charge

In addition to the fundraiser, cash donations are also welcome and can be made directly to www.edisonsportsfoundation.org – please specify “Edison Baseball Florida Run” when doing so.

Hosted by the parents of the Edison baseball team and Shaw’s Bar & Grill

Family-friendly bike ride cycles through
Northeast Minneapolis’s 14 neighborhoods June 13th, 2015

Minneapolis, MN, May 6, 2015—Organized by the Northeast Community Development Corporation (Northeast CDC), the fourth annual Northeast Ride is set for June 13, 2015. This year, NERIDES’s theme is “Cultivate Art and Community: Bike Northeast” and its route will highlight new attractions throughout Northeast Minneapolis.

Everything starts at Beltrami Park (at the intersection of Broadway and Fillmore St. NE) with registration beginning at 9 a.m. and the ride beginning at 10 a.m. Riders will be blessed by Native American drummers as they leave the park. Then, after touring NE Minneapolis’s 14 neighborhoods, the ride will conclude with an after party at Indeed Brewing Company. Eclectic Ensemble, a bicycle-powered band, will provide music.

NERIDE’s route is family-friendly and designed for riders at all levels of experience. Participants will leave Beltrami Park at 10 a.m. in small groups equipped with route maps and, if desired, NERIDE group leaders. Mechanics from Recovery Bike will be on hand to help with emergency repairs if necessary.

Covering approximately 13 miles, NERIDE’s creative cycling tour will visit every neighborhood in NE Minneapolis, pedaling past historic landmarks like the Grain Belt Brewery and visiting new public art installations at Sheridan Veterans Memorial Park and Jackson Square. A new stop this year will be at Stinson and Broadway where new bike lanes on Broadway St. NE have been proposed for 2016. And, as always, riders will be directed to “pit stops” where they can receive bicycle “bling” such as bike bells, key lanyards, bird seed for wild turkeys, and much much more.

Advance registration is $20 per rider. Same day registration is $25. Children (12 and under) ride for free when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Registration includes a NE Ride T-shirt, spoke card, and door prizes at the after party. Registration and sponsorship forms are available online at www.northeastride.org.

The Northeast Ride is a fundraiser benefitting the Northeast CDC, which supports the arts, community, and economic development in NE Minneapolis.

The free, self-guided tour will feature remodeling ideas for every room in the house, plus historic homes, lofts and new spaces.

Saturday April 25, 10am until 5pm
Sunday April 26, 1pm until 5pm

More than 50 homes and special locations in Minneapolis and Saint Paul will be open during the Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour. The free, self-guided tour (Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, April 26, 1-5 p.m.) gives homeowners inspiration and ideas on how to improve their homes.

As the Tour marks its 28th year showing “real homes, real people, real ideas,” residents open their doors to show practical ideas for remodeling every room in the house, and creative ways of finding or adding useful space.

At many homes, contractors, architects, and other trades people are also available to talk with guests. Organizers are encouraging visitors to use social media to Tweet or Instagram their tour experiences to help others make the most of the 11 hours the homes will be open.

The character of city living comes through in the tour’s tapestry of stories. Trending this year: While infill building is on the rise, the drive for historic preservation and restoration is stronger than ever. Enjoy hearing why these homeowners remodeled to stay in the neighborhoods they love.

Visitors will also get inside views of changes in the cities’ landscape, from lofts along the Green Line in Saint Paul to the Green Homes North in Minneapolis.

To plan a free, self-guided tour, visitors can go to www.MSPHomeTour.com or pick up a copy of the Home Tour Guides (with maps and descriptions of all the homes) at local libraries in Hennepin County (Minneapolis and inner-ring suburbs), Saint Paul and Ramsey County. A PDF of the Guide is downloadable from the website.

The Minneapolis and Saint Paul Home Tour, a celebration of city living, is sponsored by the City of Saint Paul Planning and Economic Development department, Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development, and various corporate and non-profit sponsors. For information, call Margo Ashmore at 612-867-4874.

NE Farmers Market Pancake Breakfast

The Northeast Farmers Market will host its 8th annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, April 25, 2015. The event will run from 9:00am–1:00pm. The cost is $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children under the age of 13.

Not your typical pancake breakfast, the Northeast Farmers Market exceeds expectations with a local and organic menu.  It will include organic Whole Grain Milling pancakes, local syrup from Sapsucker Farms, butter and half-n-half from Co-op Partners Warehouse, milk and buttermilk from Kalona SuperNatural, OJ from Sno-Pac, sausages from Gerhard’s, and gluten-free pancakes from Domata. Our long time market vendor SiP Coffee Bar will provide an espresso coffee bar. The event also will be zero waste, with market sponsor Chowgirls providing compost service.

Matt Yetter and The Wheat Pennys will perform for guests at the pancake breakfast. Matt will keep your feet tapping from 9:00am–11:00am and The Wheat Pennys will keep the vibe going from 11:00am–1:00pm.

Everything takes place at East Side Neighborhood Services, 1700 Second Street NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413. For more information, go to:  www.northeastmarket.org

Minneapolis Police Department | Community Engagement Team

Click here to read CET’s March 2015 newsletter

From their Website:

The Community Engagement Team is tasked with building ties with the various ethnic communities in our city. They work to build trust and strong relationships with members of these communities.

CET is also tasked with educating the community and the MPD on issues related to terrorism and overall police/community concerns. They can answer questions about Homeland Security issues from both officers and community members.

CET Officers can assist other officers in more complex cases such as those in which there is a language barrier. Community members can contact CET officers to offer information if and when they feel reluctant to speak to a regular officers or investigators.

They welcome your calls and questions.

Types of services offered by the Community Engagement Team:

• Citizen academies
• Youth academies
• Attending Public Forums
• Community lectures
• Community focus group
• Training programs (Violent Extremism)
• Recruit youth to participate in the Police Activities League
• Recruit youth to participate in the Police Explorers Program
• Develop and implement mentorship opportunities for youth
• Assist recruitment officers with diversity recruit for police officer and community service officer positions
• Develop and deliver training programs to raise awareness of violent extremism
• Oversee the See Something, Say Something program

For more, including contacts, visit their website: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/police/about/WCMS1P-120613

Saturday April 18, 9am – Noon
Gluek Park (2000 Marshall St. NE)

Free breakfast, bags & gloves provided

Three ways to volunteer or get bags for alley clean-up:

1. Call 612-367-7262 and leave a message for BNA staff
2. Click here to fill out an online volunteer form
3. Send an email to [email protected]

Phase 1: River Clean-up starting at Gluek Park and ending at Edgewater Park where we’ll load refuse for disposal
Phase 2: Alley Clean-up, Volunteers load refuse placed in alleys for removal

Click here for a printable flyer and invite your neighbors!

Event Sponsors:

• River Liquor Store
• Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge
• Mississippi Watershed Management Organization
• Three Rivers Park District
• The Northeast Riverkeepers
• National Park Service
• Mississippi River Fund