Outdoor Activities!

Based on these past couple weeks, I believe it’s safe to say that we all caught a glimpse of what summer in Winona is going to be like!  What better way to enjoy these nice days ahead than by participating in free or low-cost activities right here in town? 

Here are some of the great options Winona offers its residents for some outdoor spring and summer fun:

-          Walk, run, rollerblade, or bike around the Winona

o   2 miles around small lake

o   3 miles around big lake

-          Watch a sunrise or sunset on top of Garvin Heights

-          Go to the Deer Park

o   Located near the Prairie Island camping grounds

o   There are fire pits, a playground and you’re able to hang out with deer!

-          Hike up Sugarloaf

-          Go fishing on the many bodies of water that surround Winona

-          Try out Disc Golf

o   Courses are located at the Winona Lakes Park and by St. Mary’s University

-          Take a walk downtown and check out the local shops

-          Check out the Minnesota Marine Art Museum

o   Children 4 and under are FREE!

o   Students $3

o   Adults and Senior Citizens $6

Winona is full of hidden treasures just waiting to be found by people of all ages! Go ahead and explore; you never know what you might find!

 

For other events held in Winona, be sure to check out http://www.visitwinona.com/events/ for an updated list of special activities and events throughout the year.

When it comes to food...

These days, we are lucky to have many resources available to help us find ways to make our food dollars go further.   According to an article written by CNBC, prices for coffee, fruit, bacon, and pasta - along with other food staples - have increased as much as 40% in the past year alone!  Whether you decide to use coupons, look at grocery advertisements, freeze your leftovers, shop at local markets or plant your own garden (or a combination of all these ideas), these are all great ways to make your food and money last longer.

 Coupons—

Recently, coupons have been made a huge comeback in popularity; there are even television shows dedicated to couponing!  The best part about coupons is that they are a great way to save money on the products you already love.  They also allow you to try new foods at discounted prices. 

 Grocery Advertisements—

Look at the flyers from your local grocery stores.  These show what the store has on special for that day or week; you may even have a coupon that goes along with the special, allowing you to save even more!  It makes sense to stock up on items you use when they are on sale.

Local Farmers’ Market or Vegetable Stands—

What’s great about farmers’ markets and stands is that you’re cutting out the “middle man,” which decreases the costs for you as the consumer!  Not only are you saving money, but you’re spending your money locally and purchasing locally-grown food.

Freeze Your Leftovers— 

Freezing your leftovers is one of the easiest ways to stretch your money.  As the cost of groceries increases, you can keep your expenses down by freezing whatever leftover food you might have and not allowing it to go to waste.  Even if you have just a few pieces of chicken left from a night of grilling, let it cool down, place it in the -freezer in an air tight container; next time you’re enjoying a salad, pop the leftover chicken out of the freezer, defrost it and add it to your salad! Using frozen leftovers is an easy way to jazz up a meal!

 

Plant a Garden of Your Own—

Planting a garden is one of the most efficient ways of stretching your food dollar.  Although a garden takes time, money and proper care, the payoff in the end is glorious.  Not only do you have your own vegetables to use for your meals, but you also can share your fresh veggies with your neighbors.   A tip on growing a garden is to start with the right soil.  Scope out your soon-to-be garden spot in early spring time and start supplying the soil with all of the proper nutrients that are necessary.   Some great ideas to grow in our area are asparagus, broccoli, cabbage and carrots!

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/43498072

Family Volunteer Ideas

What better feeling is there than helping make your community a better place?  I know! Being able to help your community while spending quality family time together!  Volunteering as a family is a fantastic way to improve the world while being able to learn about issues within the community. 

I’ve listed several volunteering activities that are family-friendly for each of the four seasons! They all have benefits for the family members. They each:

• Help families learn about social issues and provide a new perspective on the world;
• Provide positive role models and pass on family values to children;
• Provide new learning experiences and development of new skills for both children and adults;
• Provide quality time for the family to spend together;
• Increase interpersonal communication and problem-solving abilities of family members;
• Help youth decide what they want to do with their life.

Spring

      
     ·        Bag your family’s outgrown clothes and donate them to a local organization, such as Winona Volunteer Services

·         Clean up local parks, playgrounds or streets near your home

·         Bring your pet to a nursing home to spend time with the residents (make sure the facility allows it)

·         Help serve food at a local church or at the Catholic Worker Houses

·         Help paint local schools or non-profit agencies

Summer

     ·         Set up a lemonade stand and have the proceeds benefit a local charity

·         Help build a home or shelter

·         Coordinate a food drive for the people in your community

·         Host a garage sale with proceeds benefitting a local charity

·         Create cards for Armed Forces personnel serving overseas

Fall

·         Rake leaves for neighbors who could use the help

·         Walk dogs from the Winona Area Humane Society

·         Dedicate time to stock the food shelf at Winona Volunteer Services or the Southeast Minnesota Rural Education and Resource Center

·         Serve holiday dinners for people who don’t have a place to go

     ·         Visit seniors in nursing homes

Winter

     ·         Donate to a toy drive

·         Adopt a family in need through Gifts for Winona or on your own

·         Help shovel your neighbor’s driveway!

·         Serve Holiday Dinner

·         Provide foster homes for pets

In Honor of...

Have you ever noticed how powerful a smile can be?  Or what about that time you held the door open for the person behind you?  I’m sure you received a gracious smile, a polite head nod or even a thank you!   These simple random acts of kindness will not only brighten the day of those who are on the receiving end, but will also make you feel good inside.

Here are 25 random acts that are sure to make someone’s day:

1. Smile J
2. Donate your used books or toys
3. Give up your seat in a crowded area
4. Tell someone special how much you appreciate them
5. Compliment someone on a great outfit or their beautiful smile
6. Read to a child or the elderly
7. Leave a place better than you found it
8. Cook a dinner for parents with a newborn
9. Leave well-wishing notes around for your family and strangers to find
10. Call a friend you haven’t chatted with in awhile
11. Take flowers to the hospital and have the nurses give them to someone who hasn’t had visitors
12. When mowing, shoveling or raking your property, do the same for your neighbor
13. Buy pet food or supplies for your local animal shelter
14. Leave your change in the soda machine for the next person
15. Knit hats for babies at the local hospital
16. Bring food to work and share it with your colleagues
17. Brush off snow on someone’s car next to you while your car is warming up
18. Offer to carry the bags of an elderly person to their car
19. Send a “Thank you” card  to the police station or fire department
20. Call the supervisor of an employee who provided excellent customer service
21. Offer to pay for the car behind you at a drive-thru
22. Listen to a friend’s problem
23. Say "Thank You" for a meal and offer to clean up and wash dishes
24. Leave that parking spot up front for someone else
25. Volunteer

 

Give one (or a few) of these a shot!  The best part about random acts of kindness is that many cost little or nothing to do, yet can really make someone feel special.

Food to Feed the Body, and the Soul

Everyone has been abuzz about this year’s “10 Days of Giving,” the community-wide annual event sponsored by Merchants Bank, in support of the food shelves at Winona Volunteer Services and the Southeastern Minnesota Rural Education and Resource Center (both United Way partner agencies). It sounds like the drive went well, and many hungry mouths will be fed in the coming months.

Beyond the food shelves, there are many other resources for free (or greatly reduced in price) food in Winona. Almost every day of the week, there is an opportunity to join with others and share a meal. Not only do the meals meet people’s basic nutritional needs, but they also contribute to building a sense of community and feeding the souls of those who come together to break bread.

The meals are also an opportunity to help. Volunteers and donations are always welcome.

Food Resources in Winona

Monday-Friday

Free supper, 6-7 p.m.

Bethany Catholic Worker House

832 West Broadway

454-8094

Tuesday

Free “Souper Tuesday” – soup and other goodies, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Central United Methodist Church

Corners of Broadway and Main

452-6783

Wednesday

“The Feast” – delicious home-cooked meals – the price is whatever you can afford – 5 to 6:15 p.m.

Central Lutheran Church

Corners of Huff and Wabasha

452-5156

Thursday

Free “Souper Thursday” – soup and other goodies, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

First Congregational Church

Corners of Broadway and Johnson St. (use Johnson St. door)

452-4829

Sunday (not in summer)

Free family-style breakfast, 9-10 a.m.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Parish Hall)

Broadway and Lafayette

452-5355

Other

·       Angel Food Ministries

Order monthly food packages at less than half of grocery store prices

Central United Methodist Church

Corners of Broadway and Main

452-6783

·       Free food to those in need

3^rd Thursday of the month, 6 p.m.

Winona Church of the Nazarene Agape Ministry

469 Orrin St.

452-4040

·       Food shelf and emergency food

Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for emergency food

Food shelf has varied hours Monday-Friday

Winona Volunteer Services

402 E. Second St.

452-5591

Fun Ideas for the Holiday Season

We had a long, beautiful fall, didn’t we? ……and now, just like that, it’s winter!

The first official month of winter, December is filled with holidays, family and time together. It can also be overwhelmingly busy, as many of us try to make everything “perfect.”  This month, try to do some activities that are fun, relaxing and simply being together.

15 Fun Ideas for the Holiday Season

1)      Go to a holiday parade

2)      Stay home and watch Christmas movies

·         White Christmas

·         A Christmas Story

·         How the Grinch Stole Christmas

·         The Elf

·         The Muppet Christmas Carol

3)      Attend a holiday concert

4)      Take your family on a winter photo shoot

5)      Try a new winter sport

6)      Go ice skating

7)      Drive around town  looking at Christmas decorations

8)      Make ornaments together, instead of buying them

9)      Go to the local theater for a holiday movie

10)   Make  a snow fort, snow angels or a snow man – or all 3

11)   Drink hot chocolate and warm up by a fire

12)   Bake and decorate cookies

13)   Bring food or cookies to neighbors or people in need

14)   Instead of giving “big” gifts, exchange white elephant gifts

15)   Most importantly - enjoy the season with friends and loved ones

Jazz for Winona-Live United

            Winona State University and Saint Mary’s University combined talents on Thursday, October 13^th for United Way of the Greater Winona Area. The benefit concert involved both SMU and WSU big bands and combos under the direction of Dr. John Paulson and Dr. Rich MacDonald.            

            These students went to a great effort to help out Winona-area families. Twenty students from each campus were involved in the evening. They spent long hours practicing and perfecting their talents.  They got together every week for a month to make sure they had perfected everything; from listening to them at the concert, they definitely had.

            The event went off without a hitch at the Signatures Event Center in Winona. It was a perfect place to have a concert, with the beautiful lighted candles on each red-accented table.  The environment was very warm and inviting for a jazz-filled night. 

The concert started off with the WSU  Jazz Ensemble, directed by Dr. Rich MacDonald. They performed “Soon” by George Gershwin, “La Fiesta” by Chick Corea, “Dizzying” by Ryan Kisor, and many more wonderful songs. The SMU University Jazz Combo then performed, directed by Dr. John Paulson.  They started off with “The Preacher” and “I’ll Take Romance,” both by Kurt Weil, and played many more songs. Both Universities captured the essence of jazz and had people moving to the music. .

            The Jazz for Winona-Live United benefit raised $300 through donations at the door.  That money will be used to help provide services for area families.

            We had a great evening, and we’re so grateful for all the hard work and dedication shown by the bands and combos. 

Winona State University Jazz Band

                                                       

Saint Mary's University Jazz Band