Ecumen of Litchfield had a good response to its pop-up shop on November 8th. Lots of people attended the special sale that day in the community room at 200 North Holcombe Avenue in Litchfield where homemade crafts and baked goods were sold.
Ecumen of Litchfield Executive Director Rosella Jorgenson says she’d like to thank everyone who came to the pop-up shop. She says they are also getting a good response again this year to their adopt-a-grandparent program where people in the community can purchase a Christmas gift for one of the Ecumen residents.
Jorgenson says the socks-for-seniors program is also underway, and last year, Dawn Doty collected enough fun socks to not only give to Ecumen residents, but to residents at Lincoln Apartments and Meeker Manor. Doty says they are looking for fun socks, preferably with the gripper soles. She says they’ve added 5 new clients recently to Adult Day, but they can use more clients, and people can try it out with a complimentary visit.
Doty says people can use Adult Day for one day a week or every day, but the minimum is 4 hours and they can also use Adult Day on Saturdays and Sundays. She says it provides their clients with activities, exercise and socialization and they can take a whirlpool bath for an extra charge, and they will soon be adding foot care. Doty says it gives caregivers a much-needed break. For more information about Adult Day, call Dawn at 320-373-6627.
Independent Living Housing Manager Hope Hagert says Ecumen has a couple more apartments available right now at Gloria Dei which provides affordable and market rate housing. She says it’s a nice transition for people who are maybe ready to leave the responsibilities of maintaining a house.
Hagert says people are welcome to visit Gloria Dei and take a tour, and they can get their names on a waiting list if they need some more time to transition into an apartment. She says she can be reached for more information at 320-373-6614. For more information about Ecumen of Litchfield in general, call 320-583-0004.
Next week is the annual observance of Winter Hazard Awareness Week. It’s a reminder for people to be prepared for the many types of safety concerns that can arise from the winter weather.
Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze says the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has a theme for each day next week including a weather overview, outdoor winter safety, fire safety, indoor winter safety and driving safety. He says the most important thing for motorists to remember is to slow down and drive according to the conditions because – even if you have 4-wheel or all-wheel drive, it helps you with traction, but it won’t help you stop quickly when it’s slippery.
Sheriff Cruze says it’s a good idea to keep a survival kit in your vehicle with warm clothing, blankets and other supplies such as a cell phone charger, and if you get stalled or go in the ditch, leave a note in the vehicle if you leave it so that law enforcement will know where you are. He says this time of year is a good time to refresh your smoke detector batteries and make sure carbon monoxide detectors are working – and have them installed in your fish house too.
Sheriff Cruze says ice on waterways can be unpredictable so be cautious as the ice forms if you are going to venture out on lakes or rivers for fishing, snowmobiling and other activities. He says house fires seem to be more common in the winter months, so make sure your chimneys are cleaned, candles are not left unattended and that holiday decorations are in good repair.
Sheriff Cruze says the outdoor warning sirens will not be tested in the winter months as they are on the first Wednesday of the warmer months as the snow and cold temperatures are hard on the equipment, but if there is some type of civil emergency, the sirens will still be used. He says it’s important to use common sense, plan ahead, and you can find road information at 511mn.org.
