Committed to serving individuals and families in the Maple Grove area, CROSS Services has taken another step toward making hot meals more readily available to citizens in need. Earlier this year, a Kopp Family Foundation $1-for-$1 donor match of up to $5,000 was quickly met by donations from General Mills employees, the Maple Grove Lions and individual donors. It allowed CROSS’s Meals on Wheels program to increase the affordability of healthy meals delivered right to the doorstep of those in need. “The new program features a sliding scale for assessing individuals to see where they fall financially,” says Stephanie Lehman, Meals on Wheels coordinator.
Meals that typically cost $5.50 each can now be offered to more recipients at a potentially lower cost through subsidies. The program also offers a comprehensive in-house screening by a case worker, providing immediate and long-term assistance for Meals on Wheels recipients. “With this new program, we are dedicating more resources to increase meal availability in the area as well as assisting people in the community who need it most, in ways other than just providing meals,” Lehman says.
