CEAP News

CEAP recently held its annual Volunteer Luncheon at the Church of St. Gerard in Brooklyn Park. The event was held to honor the over 1,000 volunteers (210 of which were in attendance) who bring their hard work and talent to CEAP’s offices every year.

Chef Sam’s Catering donated lunch, while the Champlin High School Band provided the music. A raffle, Clothing Closet fashion show, and award ceremony were part of the festivities. Six volunteers were presented with CEAP’s coveted Carol Dale award. The award commemorates CEAP volunteer Coordinator, Carol Dale, who passed away of cancer in 1997 at the early age of 52. The award is given to those volunteers who embody her generosity and dedication to the community. This year’s winners were Winn Bilodeau, Ed Breitbach, Emily Nelson, Fran Simon, Harry Spoden, and Emmerick Thibodeau.

In addition, Community Partner awards were given to individuals, organizations, and businesses for their contributions of food, time, and money to CEAP’s cause. This year’s Community Partner award winners included Charles Fischbach, Christ Lutheran Church, the Church of St. Gerard, and Target.

Volunteers are an integral part of CEAP. They assist staff in nearly every program and department. They make up CEAP’s car loan committee; sort, pack, and distribute food for CEAP’s two food shelves; and monitor, sort, and stock clothing in CEAP’s Clothing Closet. They do data entry in CEAP’s Administrative Department; deliver meals to seniors through CEAP’s Meals On Wheels program; rake yards and clean homes for the elderly and disabled through CEAP’s Senior Chores program; and work CEAP’s special events, including their Holiday Distribution and Back to School program.

CEAP’s volunteers have even created their own groups to help CEAP, like the Cross of Glory Quilters. They are a group of more than 30 volunteers that gather on their own during the winter months to make quilts for CEAP’s clients. They make over 300 quilts a year, which are used for CEAP’s layette distributions and to keep clients warm in the winter.

Volunteers donated over 27,800 hours of their time to CEAP’s Blaine and Brooklyn Park offices in 2008. This is what allowed CEAP to sort, pack, and serve over 741,000 pounds of food to families across Hennepin and Anoka County last year. And it’s what is helping CEAP cope with the huge increases in family visits to their offices this year. Visits are up 26% compared to last year and it’s projected to grow even highter as the year progresses.

CEAP would like to thank all of its volunteers for the work they’ve provided over the years, and hopes that they will continue to help make our community a better place to live. If you’d like to volunteer please call CEAP’s Volunteer Coordinator at 763-450-3679