County connects to help those in need

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It’s time to connect, Lake County. Oct. 26 is the day, 3-6 p.m. is the time and Two Harbors High School is the place to get connected with community and county resources. The 4th annual Lake County Community Connect is an event that boasts 40 different resources under one roof to help folks with low or fixed incomes throughout the area.

“It’s a cool collaboration,” said Jan O’Donnell of Arrowhead RSVP,” and people can sign up for a variety of services.”

Recent stories in the News-Chronicle have outlined the growing number of families struggling to find affordable housing and jobs and access healthy food here in Lake County. Residents with limited means either find they cannot afford fresh, unprocessed foods or that stores selling healthy food are too far away. The number of people needing help to keep food on the table is increasing. In fact, regional food shelves have seen a 30 percent increase in the number of people utilizing their services, said Phill Arnold of the Two Harbors Area Food Shelf.

Residents from all over the county are invited to Lake County Community Connect and transportation from communities like Silver Bay and Finland can be reserved by calling the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA) at 834-2280.

Betty Josephson has been the client representative for the Salvation Army in Silver Bay since 2002, and has been collecting donations for this year’s Community Connect event . “I enjoy it. I feel good when I can help people,” she said.

The Salvation Army will have items such as coats, mittens, sweaters, hats and caps. Josephson said more items are needed. “We’ll take anything that can help people get through the winter—warm clothing in good condition, blankets, quilts, afghans,” she said. New items like tooth brushes, soap, shampoo, toilet tissue, socks and diapers are always welcome.

Bags of grocery items will be distributed at the event and people can apply for help with winter heating and range of other services. A meal will be served, too.

“Almost everybody has circumstances a time or two in life when they need help,” said O’Donnell explaining the thought behind Lake County Community Connect.

“Come and talk to us about what you need to make life better.”

Volunteers are still needed to help with the event. See the call for volunteers on page 2B next to the Volunteer Spotlight featuring Betty Josephson.

Tags: lake county, life, volunteer