By Dakota Woodlands Representative
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​Since late January of this year our world radically changed with the spread of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) that has impacted the entire world. The virus has shown no boundaries and has caused thousands of deaths while the world tries to find a cure.

In early March the virus arrived in the United States and has virtually shut the entire country down. Minnesota is no exception and we are all going to great lengths to protect ourselves and our families from the deadly virus.

​Living and working at the shelter has had its challenges. It's difficult to understand the threat entirely when at first glance everything seems fine. Our shelter has always been a safe haven for our residents and staff and it's a challenge having to deal with a threat that you can't see.

Living in fear and the unknown is nothing new to our residents. Unfortunately, this fear is present and has reared its ugly head into our shelter. To mitigate the threat of COVID-19 and anxiety for people living and working at the shelter, we had to work hard to shift expectations of all residents and staff to follow Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health safety recommendations.  We are working diligently to stop the threat at our doorway.  However, once the virus is in our shelter, it will be too late to stop it at the same capacity. 

You may ask... what are we doing to safeguard our Dakota Woodlands’ community?  The word WE is not meant to be used lightly, as it truly means the entire shelter community is working together to safeguard our home and workplace.  We have locked our front doors to our building 24/7 to control access.  Visitors are not allowed within our facility, except those with essential business.  Anyone wanting access to our facility must make prior arrangements with staff,  temperatures taken, and follow sanitation guidelines.  All business and county related activities that involve residents and staff communications, including board of director meetings, are handled electronically. 

We have also taken other steps to safeguard our community.  We have transitioned communal activities and practices to a controlled distribution of resources, such as how we handle our food and social distancing in our dining hall.  We have dedicated a washroom for hand washing, a station to support self-health screening - recording staff and resident temperatures daily, and isolating when temperatures are elevated 99.5 degrees or higher. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Eagan MN donated over 100 thermometers to us months ago not knowing of the future pandemic ahead of us.  We also were fortunate to have N95 masks in our inventory and hand sanitizer that carried us over to when we started receiving these needed resources from donors.  We have had and continue to have great support from the outside community.  We are receiving handmade masks for adults and children made to CDC specifications; cleaning services provided by a grant through the State; the Board of Directors of Dakota Woodlands continue to network with restaurants, bakeries, and other sources to direct food donations our way; and individuals from the community dropping off toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, etc. 
 
We are forever grateful to those that continue to support us through various resources of giving.  We receive phone calls from past volunteers that moved out of state asking how they can help us.  Volunteers that we depend on to pick up food donations continue to drop off donations at our site.  A gentleman who is an electrical engineer that volunteers, he suits up in protective gear and comes into our shelter to take care of time sensitive repairs and plumbing issues.  Working at the shelter as an employee and seeing those that are part of the DW team whether they are volunteers or staff are remarkable people.  They are putting their personal fears aside, with a steadfast focus to continue to protect the most vulnerable and to help keep our safe haven 'safe'.  This is exemplified by leadership at the executive level.

We are so proud of the people we serve, as we know it had been difficult to ‘shelter in place’ that was mandated by our State's Governor Tim Walz.  The children staying with us are the most resilient, as they seamlessly dovetailed from being students in school facilities with friends and structure to 'sheltering in place' using distant learning to keep up with school work. We see young and older children working independently on their tablets, communicating with teachers and being very engaged in what they are learning. Teachers call the shelter often to connect with their students and we have an education person on staff that helps the children with questions and access to resources.  Congratulations to all of our students staying with us that navigated and succeeded in their education during a difficult time! 
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In summary, like most everyone else in our country, we have our good days and bad days during this pandemic.  However, as we see it, every day is a good day when we continue to keep our Dakota Woodlands community safe.  

​Midwest Dairy provided $95,000 in grant funding that enabled Second Harvest Heartland to purchase dairy coolers for 45 food shelves and shelters throughout Minnesota.  Dakota Woodlands (DW) received a freezer which has increased our capacity to provide families in our community with more milk, more cheese, more dairy. The grant was intended to support food shelves and shelters in the increased distribution of cow’s milk and other nutritious dairy products that are in high demand.  
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“Second Harvest Heartland was thrilled to receive this grant to help agency partners safely distribute nutritious and highly sought-after dairy products to families experiencing hunger,” said Pat Pearson, Director of Agency Relations, Second Harvest Heartland.  “We are grateful for the opportunity to have applied for the Milk 2 My Plate Agency Partner Grant Application through Second Harvest Heartland. The cooler allows us the ability to offer a larger variety of dairy products, increasing the amount of nutritional consumption by our DW community,” said Nicole Bathgate, Operations Director, Dakota Woodlands.
 
The grant covered both the cost of the refrigerator and delivery. Food shelves and shelters were able to choose from a selection of four different types of coolers to best meet the needs of their individual programs. Most of the refrigerators chosen featured glass doors to allow food shelf clients to view the products in abundance and take what they need.
 
In addition to Midwest Dairy, US Foods and Arctic Air provided generous support in the form of reduced pricing and delivery of the coolers to food shelves. Midwest Dairy™ represents 7,000 dairy farm families and works on their behalf to build dairy demand by inspiring consumer confidence in our products and production practices.
 
On any given day, one in 11 Minnesotans does not know where their next meal is coming from: kids come home to an empty fridge and seniors skip meals to pay for their medications. In so many ways, partners like Midwest Dairy make a transformational impact on our mission to end hunger and provide nutrition to people we serve.  

​Aaron Teuber, Eagle Scout from Troop 9451 Apple Valley, along with Eagle Scout mentor, Mark Reardon toured Dakota Woodlands this past spring.  Teuber was looking for a service project that would fulfill a requirement by Boy Scouts of America to become an Eagle Scout.  A service project involves planning, developing, and giving leadership to others while performing a project that benefits the community. While touring DW, Teuber identified that Dakota Woodlands didn’t have directional signs or common area(s) signage in the facility. Teuber thought changing this would benefit visitors and new residents by helping them locate services and amenities in the building without staff direction. He quickly got to work and prepared his service project proposal to present to DW. Shortly after, DW accepted the project as a beneficiary. In April of this past year, Teuber and volunteers from Troop 9451 installed 69 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant directory and directional signs that correspond with the building’s architectural floor plan. The project was well orchestrated with detailed planning.  The project involved 16 scouts and 5 volunteers from the troop and 155-man hours from start to finish.  Amazing!

​​​Oliver Hess, an Eagle Scout candidate from Troop 449 Eagan, took on a service project that would involve the participation of the scouts and the City Of Eagan. Phase one of Hess's project was to remove the well-known invasive species, Buckthorn that was growing on the hillside of the property. Hess, with the help of other Scouts from Troop 449, spent hours cutting the Buckthorn down and stacking it to be picked up utilizing the Eagan Buckthorn Program offered by the Forestry Division of the city.

Once the Buckthorn was cleared, Hess wanted to make improvements to the two parking lots on the DW property; Hess wanted to install signs for the numerous parking stalls to designate parking for residents, staff, and visitors. Through planning, developing, and raising dollars, Hess raised enough money to install 20 new parking signs for staff and visitor parking. Two signs were made to designate one lot as resident parking and the other lot as staff and visitor parking.

The entire project involved 12 scouts and 29 volunteers from the troop that worked over 250-man hours! Whew!

​Caden Carlson, Eagle Scout candidate from Troop 118 Farmington took on a service project that would fulfill a personal mission of his.  Carlson is an avid reader and understands the healing power a book can hold. Carlson proposed to build bookshelves for DW and to supply a variety of books that people could either read and return to the bookshelves or take as their own. He worked with members of his troop and parent volunteers to make this happen.  They relied on Phil Kadlec, a professional woodworker in Farmington, in guiding the troop with resources and a few pointers on craftsmanship when building the bookcases. This activity coincided with collecting books from the general public by using social media.  In doing this, Carlson raised awareness of homelessness and the importance of reading. This inspired many from the community to donate over 500 books to Carlson’s mission.  Dakota Electric Association also got involved by donating packing boxes for book transportation.
 
After the bookcases were made and placed at the shelter, the books had a place to rest and a good home in the hands of those that wanted to experience the joy of reading.  “We were so happy to see the joy and excitement on the faces of the children when they saw all the books. Just to have them come in and be so excited to choose a book of their very own was so rewarding and heartwarming” said Kim Lang, grandmother of Carlson.

 Jeremy Carlson, Scout from Troop 293 Apple Valley, and Paul Chellsen, President of Apple Valley Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Scoutmaster wanted to help Dakota Woodlands with yard work that beautified the backyard at the shelter.  Last summer, this is exactly what happened.  The team of Scouts from Troop 293 replenished the playground with 12 cubic yards of mulch, mulched flowerbeds and donated plants and shrubs to add to the existing gardens. They spent many hours working on beautifying the gardens and made a commitment to come back next spring and summer to care for them.  Thanks to their effort, our children living at DW can enjoy the beautiful scenery and hopscotch the day away: one, two, three… ​

By Dakota Woodlands Representative
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Thank you to our Corporate and Individual Sponsors!
 
Thomson Reuters 
Nordson Medical 
Randy Nelson Randy Propp 
21st Century Bank 
Tradition Bank 
CHS 
David Charlez Designs 
Dakota Electric 
Robert Joswiak Insurance – State Farm 

Family Handyman employees volunteered their time and efforts as part of the 2019 Trusted Media Brands Day of Caring initiative, sponsored by the Reader’s Digest Foundation.  Day of Caring began in 2005, and is a special day each year where employees are given the opportunity to give back to their communities by volunteering.  
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On Thursday, June 27, Eagan employees volunteered at Dakota Woodlands, a homeless shelter for women and their families.  This year our team painted the family room and hallways.  Once the walls were dry, we put the furniture back in place and hung pictures back on the walls. The best feeling of accomplishment came when a mother and daughter immediately sat on one of the chairs and read a book together.  This was truly a heart-warming moment!”

​By Dakota Woodlands Representative
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What does drywall compound, paint, skill, and Day of Service all have in common?  Haag Engineering, a global company of Forensic Engineers and Consultants.

A Day of Service is a day when employees of Haag Engineering can dedicate their time and skills to help those in need in the community.  To find that need, Tami Fugle, Haag Engineering Branch Coordinator for the Burnsville, Minnesota location contacted local nonprofit organizations to offer a helping hand.  Dakota Woodlands (DW) was one of the lucky nonprofits to receive that offer.  DW is very familiar with Haag Engineering.  In 2017, the corporation did repairs to the Shelter's playground equipment and replenished mulch in the backyard. 

​The current need:  The Shelter’s stairwell ceiling finish had to be replaced.
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On February 27, 2019, Engineers: Richard Herzog, Haag Engineering Branch Manager/Principal Engineer/Meteorologist; John Ortenblad, Senior Consultant; Dan Behrens, Senior Engineer; and Dave Ey, Civil Engineer tackled the project with efficiency and smiles.  The main challenge was the height and working above the stairs. They scraped, applied mud, sanded, and applied a smooth coat of paint to the ceiling.  No doubt, this was a dirty job.  However, they controlled the dust from the sanding and left a pristine area when finished. 
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To make best use of the company’s time, other projects were adopted as stages of the ceiling were being done.  Ey repaired furniture and peeled paint from dressers.  Peeling paint is as tedious as watching paint dry.  With this said, regardless, Ey was happy to help.  Herzog floated between jobs from ceiling resurfacing to helping Ey peel paint. ​
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​The engineers, who were laden in dust, gathered their tools to leave DW for the day, vocalized their gratitude for the great work DW does for the homeless. While heading out to help the next organization in need, they stopped in their tracks and took a moment to pose for a picture to capture their day at DW. ​

By Dakota Woodlands Representative

Non-Profit organizations like Dakota Woodlands (DW) depend on the generosity of others to enable them to carry out their mission. If it wasn’t for the support of local businesses, groups and individuals, who show their support by volunteering time, talents and financial resources, many critical projects would not be completed.

One such critical project that needed to be taken care of was the removal of a forty-year old fence that surrounds the DW property. Once removed, a new fence would need to be installed. The new fence would provide privacy for residents and more importantly, safety for the children, securing the playground area at the shelter.  This expensive proposition had to be coordinated to ensure a seamless process of removal of the old fence and the installation of the new fence.  Fortunately a series of events that occurred last spring brought two groups together that enabled the project to move forward.

Allison Wertz, a neighbor of DW who frequently drives past the Shelter was given funds from her grandmother to distribute to charities of her choice. She decided to find out if she could help the families who depend on Dakota Woodlands for safe shelter.  After meeting with Executive Director Beth Bromen, they agreed there was a need to replace the forty-year old fence. It was then that Allison generously made a monetary contribution on behalf of her grandmother, Florence C. Wertz. This donation was timely.

During the same time, Operations Director Nicole Bathgate had a meeting with Frank Sullivan, a Boy Scout from Troop 9171 in Eagan. Sullivan was looking for a service project to fulfill the final requirement for him to become an Eagle Scout. After Sullivan was presented with several projects that DW had available, he decided to tackle the project of disassembling and removing the existing fence.

Miraculously a project that kept being put off due to lack of funds and labor was now able to go forward thanks to the synergy of Allison Wertz and Frank Sullivan.

Sullivan coordinated with Scouts from Troop 9171 and along with help from other volunteers, dissembled the old wooden fence.  This project entailed removing 33 posts along with the concrete footings and the disposal of 246 ft. of materials.  Sullivan informed Waste Management about his service project and asked for them to donate a 20-yard dumpster.  Waste Management honored Sullivan’s requests and donated the dumpster and cost of the disposal.  Once the area was cleared, on August 9, 2018 Midwest fencing installed the new fence.

Thank you to Sullivan and volunteers from Troop 9171 for taking on a massive service project. Their hard work opened the door to Florence C. Wertz’s wishes of having a lasting impact on a nonprofit organization through financial giving. Thank you to Florence C. Wertz for the financial contribution and for entrusting her granddaughter Allison to find an organization that needed help.

By Dakota Woodlands Representative

​Commercial restaurant kitchens have a new tool in the ongoing fight to stay efficient and control operational overheads. Launched this summer by St. Paul based Smart Care Equipment Solutions, the Smart Care Planned Maintenance Program includes a new smart service app, nationally customized protocols for all planned maintenance service appointments and an enhanced network of Smart Techs providing both local service and national support capabilities across the country.

“This is a major step forward towards really bringing commercial kitchen equipment service and maintenance into the 21st century,” says Bill Emory, CEO, Smart Care Equipment Solutions. “Over the past six months we’ve expanded our national network of technicians putting more highly trained people into both our customer and growth markets. Now we’re turning our attention to equipping those smart techs with what we believe is some of the most innovative and forward-thinking technology in our industry.”

Smart Care’s vision is to ensure that every commercial kitchen in America is ready to serve. On January 25, 2018, through the company's community relations initiative, the Employee Resource Group came knocking on the door of Dakota Woodlands (DW).  Kathleen Dempsey, Smart Care's Production Analyst, who volunteered at DW when she was a high school student, said, “You do meaningful work in our local community, and we want to offer our support.” This was the beginning of a new partnership between Smart Care and DW. Dempsey, Joe Radermacher, Manager Financial Analysis, and Leslie Elenbass, Human Resources, were the representatives from Smart Care that broke the initial ground of finding how they could support the nonprofit organization.

“Dakota Woodlands, located in Eagan, Minnesota serves the homeless population in Dakota County. Our mission is a pathway to sustainable and independent housing for homeless women and families by providing a continuum of supportive services. There are approximately 100 homeless families that stay at the shelter each year," said Beth Bromen, Executive Director, Dakota Woodlands.  DW offers each individual person-centered care, life building education skills, hot meals, clothing, and a safe place to stay. "This goes a long way in the hearts and minds of an individual experiencing great hardship," said Bromen. 
 
DW has a unique setup that allows meals to be prepared and served daily on campus. “Serving nutritional meals at the shelter is an important part of the day for operations.  It impacts bringing families together to share a hot meal and conversation. Operating a commercial kitchen is no small task.  Some of the responsibilities include proper food storage using climate-controlled equipment and space, planning dietary menus, preparing and serving meals, food safety, sanitation, and caring for equipment that makes the operation possible,” said Nicole Bathgate, Operations Director, Dakota Woodlands.  

Smart Care understands how important it is to ensure that kitchen equipment is running at optimal performance. Safety and equipment uptime are two essential elements that Smart Care embraces. They invest their time and expertise to ensure their customers’ investments are protected through preventative measures and first-time fixes.  Dempsey, Radermacher and Elenbass suggested that DW could benefit from their company's equipment maintenance program.

On February 8, 2018, Dempsey and Radermacher were joined by District Manager, Marty Olson, and Service Manager, James Schaffer at DW’s facility to gain insight of the commercial kitchen equipment being used.  At that time, DW learned firsthand of the expertise and the state of the art technology approach that Smart Care offers. Through Smart Care’s charitable giving, DW’s kitchen equipment is now on a semi-annual preventative maintenance schedule and serviced by knowledge and highly trained technicians.

On August 20, 2018, Bill Emory, CEO, and his team gave a warm welcome to Bromen and her team when visiting the St. Paul Smart Care headquarters. The two entities learned more about each other and how the partnership can grow. During the meeting Shelia Mason, Volunteer Coordinator for Dakota Woodlands expressed the need for volunteers to help with serving meals at the shelter, pick up food donations from community partnerships, and the shelter's back to school party.  Smart Care employees jumped at the opportunity to offer their support.  Olson stated, "Smart Care and DW are a good fit." 

On August 23, 2018, Dempsey and team associates volunteered at DW’s back to school party.  Christine Schmidt, Sr. Marketing Communication Specialist for Smart Care is working closely with Mason to schedule future dates for Smart Care employees to serve meals at the shelter and pickup weekly food donations.  “It takes a community to serve the homeless.  We are grateful for those that step-up to help those in need,” stated Bromen.
 
​For more information about Smart Care Equipment Solutions, please visit their website https://smartcaresolutions.com
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​​By Trusted Media Brands' The Family Handyman

​On a steamy-hot afternoon in June, 11 employees from Trusted Media Brands’ The Family Handyman reroofed a shed and cleared weeds as part of their company’s Day of Caring initiative.
 
The Family Handyman is a do-it-yourself home improvement brand that produces a print magazine, special interest publications for the newsstand and books. They also support a dynamic website and have an active social media presence. The Family Handyman’s editorial office is in Eagan, with 25 employees onsite.
 
Trusted Media Brands, The Family Handyman’s parent company, was formerly The Reader’s Digest Association, with headquarters in New York. Since 2005, the company has promoted an annual Day of Caring during which employees are encouraged to participate in community service projects. Habitat for Humanity, Project for Pride in Living and Feed My Starving Children have all been recipients of TMBI’s generosity.
 
This year, The Family Handyman chose to partner with Dakota Woodlands. They worked with Nicole Bathgate, Operations Director, to select projects that needed to be done on the Dakota Woodlands grounds. Reroofing the shed and clearing an overgrown patch of land were projects the group thought they could accomplish in an afternoon.
 
Thanks to good planning, plenty of water and snacks, plus a big dose of DIY determination, the shed now has a new roof and the weedy patch is clear. This was a win-win for everyone involved.

By Maureen Schriner* 
 
At Dakota Woodlands, the Eagan-based shelter for homeless families, the staff and residents have lengthy lists of “need to” and “must do” tasks in order for the families to transition from the shelter to their own new homes.  The families are under stress and struggle with many personal issues.
 
But Dakota Woodlands bravely tacked on one more “must do” action item: Recycle more.  When Nicole Bathgate, operations director at Dakota Woodlands, saw the opportunity last year for the shelter to receive funding and training through the Business Recycling Incentive Program offered by Dakota County, she applied.  Dakota Woodlands was awarded a grant for almost $1,800, which paid for blue recycling baskets, large recycling bins for the kitchen, outdoor stainless steel recycling bins, labels and signage, as well as technical consulting and education sessions. The funds for the incentive program came from Dakota County, with technical assistance provided by sustainability consultants at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce’s nonprofit subsidiary, Minnesota Waste Wise Foundation.
 
While Dakota Woodlands had tried recycling in the past, Bathgate said the staff and board of directors recognized the value of the incentive program. “Dakota Woodlands is a lot like other local businesses,” Bathgate said. “We have worked to be good neighbors and active members of the community, and our efforts to do more recycling are one more way we can do that.”
 
Renee Burman, Dakota County senior environmental specialist and Business Recycling Incentive Program coordinator, said the county takes seriously efforts to increase recycling so it can meet new sustainability requirements under a Minnesota law passed in 2016. “A new state law requires us to increase our recycling efforts with our businesses and residents,” Burman said.
 
By 2030, for all waste produced in Dakota County, 75 percent of recyclable materials must be recycled, rather than dumped in landfills. “Right now, our recycling rate is 48 percent,” Burman said. “To reach 75 percent, it’s going to take everyone.”  
 
Once Dakota Woodlands was approved for the grant, the staff scheduled an onsite visit with Allison Sawyer, a sustainability specialist with Minnesota Waste Wise. “The shelter is a unique nonprofit because it has both commercial waste, from its kitchen and business operations, as well as residential waste,” Sawyer said.
 
One challenge is the high turnover rate of residents. Dakota Woodlands has 22 homeless families at a time, with stays averaging three to six months, although Bathgate notes many families have been staying longer due to lack of available affordable housing. Over a year, that means over 100 families are moving in and out of the shelter. Bathgate said the key has been to make recycling easy and accessible to residents and staff.
 
During site visits, Sawyer walks with the organization’s staff inside and outside the building to peak into garbage and recycling containers. It’s not dumpster diving, Sawyer clarified. The peaking helps to identify opportunities to recycle more.  “A lot of businesses we approach will say, ‘We have recycling bins, we’re good.’ It’s going through and getting them to take a look at all the paper or any other recyclables going in the trash, that’s what gets them motivated to change.”
 
Digging through the garbage is exactly what the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency did in 2013, and that research led to increased recycling goals for the Twin Cities area in state law, Burman said. The research report issued by the MPCA found too much trash could have been recycled or composted instead: 31 percent was organics, 25 percent was paper, and 18 percent was plastics. The report proved “we’ve really got to get projects moving forward faster and in a more timely manner,” Burman said.
 
One project Dakota Woodlands has taken on is reducing cardboard boxes in the trash. Large and small boxes come into the shelter weekly from food and supply deliveries. Some boxes are now reused as moving boxes for families leaving the shelter, and others are recycled. The Dakota Woodlands kitchen has seen the most improvement in recycling.
 
Minnesota Waste Wise’s recycling education sessions had to fit into the programming schedule at Dakota Woodlands, which is filled almost daily with programs provided by staff and community experts to train residents on life skills, financial literacy and personal wellness. Bathgate praised Sawyer’s work. “She was fantastic. She helped with the entire recycling program process and even taught recycling classes to our community.”
 
The next stage is to build a culture and habit of recycling at Dakota Woodlands, said Bathgate. “We’ve seen some unexpected positive results.”  The shelter’s trash dumpster is less full, while the recycling dumpster is overflowing. If that shift continues, the shelter should eventually save money in garbage service costs.
 
Sawyer said she was able to estimate increased recycling for Dakota Woodlands. “Since adding the new recycling bins, the building has added an estimated 3,432 pounds of recycling for an annual total of 10,000 pounds of recycling.”  
 
Sawyer noted saving money can be another benefit for businesses that recycle. Burman added that larger corporations in Dakota County have been enticed to bump up their recycling because of the potential for larger cost savings. The county is encouraged to see small organizations, such as Dakota Woodlands, join in the push for the county to reach its 2030 recycling goal.
 
Find more information on recycling incentives and resource assistance, search “business recycling” at dakotacounty.us.


* Maureen has volunteered at Dakota Woodlands as a tutor, piano teacher and communicator.