COMMUNITY RESOURCES
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FOOD
School Meals Available
If your child is a distance learner, grab and go meals are available to students Meals can be picked up at school. Contact Marci at 218-547-4206 for more information.
Local Food Shelves
Walker Area Food Shelf
8243 Industrial Park Rd NW, Walker, MN 56484
Hours of Operation:
1st, 2nd and 3rd Tuesday: Open Noon to 3:00 p.m.
4th Tuesday of the month: Open from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Closed on the 5th Tuesday of the month
*to go, curbside pickup boxes at this time
WHA Food Pantry
Supplemental food support for WHA student's families. Please call the school office for more information.
Longville Area Food Shelf
5070 State 84 NE, Longville, MN 56655
Hours of Operation:
Wednesday: Open from 11:00 to 3:00
2nd Thursday of the month: Open 11:00 to 3:00
*to go, curbside pickup boxes at this time
Hackensack Area Community Food Shelf
209 State Highway 371, Hackensack, MN - 56452
(218) 675-5862
Hours of Operation:
2nd and 4th Monday: 5:00pm to 7:00
Laporte Community Food Shelf
150 2nd St NW, Laporte, MN / Trinity Lutheran Church
218-224-3266
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday nights from 5:30 to 6:30 or until the last person is served
Closed the 5th Tuesday of every month
Akeley/Nevis Community Food Shelf
6 Broadway Street East, Akeley MN 56433
218-652-2388
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday: 9:00 to 11:00
*to go, curbside pickup at this time
Cass Lake Area Food Shelf
113 Spruce Ave NE, Cass Lake 56633
218- 335-7837
Hours of Operation:
Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
*to go, curbside pickup at this time
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Food Distribution:
In response to COVID-19, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe will be distributing supplemental food in all districts. . Information for District 3:
Greater Cass Lake Area:
Cass Lake Food Shelf 10am-2pm everyday Tuesday-Thursday. (Maximum 2 trips per month) for more information please call 218-987-3000.
Onigum:
Onigum Community Center. Drive-thru pick-up. Contact Ashley at 218-888-2651 for more information.
WIC
Is a Nutrition and Breastfeeding program. Helps eligible pregnant women, new mothers, babies, and young children eat well, learn about nutrition, and stay healthy.Provides nutrition education and counseling, nutritious foods, and referrals to health and other social services.
Cass County:
Please contact 218-547-6872 with any questions and/or to see if you are eligible.
HELP WITH ACCESSING BASIC NEEDS
Cass County Public Health is offering coordination of essential services for residents. Essential Services include groceries, medications, or other items needed for daily living. If you feel you are at high risk for contracting COVID-19 and are unable to obtain essential items on your own or know of someone who is at high risk and unable to obtain essential items, please contact Kristin at 218-547-6852. Our office hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm.
Faith in Action will bring your groceries to you! Call us at 218-675-5435
UNEMPLOYMENT
You may be eligible for unemployment benefits if:
You have temporarily or permanently lost your job or had your hours reduced because of COVID-19.
A healthcare professional or health authority recommended or ordered you to avoid contact with others due to COVID-19.
You have been ordered not to come to their workplace due to an outbreak of COVID-19.
You have received notification from a school district, daycare, or other childcare provider that either classes are canceled or your usual childcare is unavailable, as long as you made a reasonable effort to find other childcare and requested time off or other accommodation from your employer and no reasonable accommodation was available.
Given the volume of applications, it is best to apply online.
HEALTH INSURANCE
COVID-19 Emergency Special Enrollment Period
MNsure is offering a special enrollment period for qualified individuals who are currently without insurance in response to the potential growth of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.
Who Qualifies
This special enrollment period is for eligible Minnesotans who do not have current health insurance.
You do not need to be sick to qualify.
If you are currently enrolled in a qualified health plan through MNsure, you cannot use this special enrollment period to change plans.
Have you lost or will you lose your employer-sponsored health insurance?
This also may qualify you for a special enrollment period through MNsure.
Have you had a decrease or loss of income?
If you are currently enrolled in a qualified health plan through MNsure and your income has decreased, make sure to keep your account updated by reporting your current income to MNsure. You may be eligible for no cost or low-cost coverage, or increased financial help toward paying for your current plan.
INTERNET
Arvig Educational Assistance Program- for families with a student in the K-12 system or for college students, to receive a free service Internet so that your education can continue through e-learning methodologies at the event schools remain closed as a result of COVID-19. Some things to consider:
This program is available to families living in the Arvig service area and currently do not have any internet service at their residence. Any available internet speed will be offered free, including wi-fi service if necessary. To qualify for free service, you must be a new customer, not have uncollectible debts to Arvig and register to receive electronic accounts. The service will remain free until the end of the 2019/2020 school year unless they call to disconnect your service and return the equipment. Unfortunately, if we can't deliver 5 Mbps of speed to your residence, we won't be able to offer you this program. We will prioritize service facilities for low-income families. Verification of need can be provided through a phone conference with the school. If you know a family that doesn't have internet service at this time and who can qualify for the Arvig Educational Assistance Program, please encourage them to:
Contact our Online Customer Service Team at arvigbusiness.com via our online chat or by calling 888.992.7844
UTILITIES
If you are experiencing difficulty paying your heating and electric costs, the Energy Assistance Program (EAP) may be able to help you. BI-CAP has three programs that serve households with different needs.
Primary Heat: Heating assistance is available to households who rent or own, whose income is at or below 50 percent of the state median income. The assistance you receive pays a portion of home energy and heating costs. Grants are based on household size, gross income, and the previous year’s energy costs. Grants are paid directly to your energy providers.
Crisis Program: Households experiencing a heating or electric emergency may be eligible for additional crisis assistance. You must be approved for energy assistance and a primary heat grant does not resolve the situation.
Energy Related Repair (ERR): ERR funds are available to homeowners experiencing a life threatening situation or a no-heat emergency due to a malfunctioning or non-functioning heating system. You must be approved for energy assistance to qualify for this program. Proof of ownership is required.
How to get started and apply for assistance:
1. For Cass and Beltrami County Residents, visit https://www.bicap.org/projects/assistance/
For Hubbard County Residents, visis https://www.mahube.org/services/energy-programs/energy-assistance/
2. In response to COVID-19, complete the revised program year application.
3. Provide the previous month’s proof of any and all household gross income.
4. Include a copy of your primary heat and electric bills.
5. Return the application to the Energy Assistance Provider for your county.
For Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Members please contact
Connie Littlewolf 218-760-1688
STUDENT LOAN INFORMATION
To provide relief to student loan borrowers during the COVID-19 national emergency, federal student loan borrowers are automatically being placed in an administrative forbearance, which allows you to temporarily stop making your monthly loan payment. This suspension of payments will last until December 31st, 2020, but you can still make payments if you choose.
For More Information please contact your Federal Student Loan Service Provider. To find out who your loan servicer is, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) at 1-800-433-3243.
Loan Servicer Contact
CornerStone-1-800-663-1662
FedLoan Servicing (PHEAA)-1-800-699-2908
Granite State – GSMR-1-888-556-0022
Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc.-1-800-236-4300
HESC/Edfinancial-1-855-337-6884
MOHELA-1-888-866-4352
Navient-1-800-722-1300
Nelnet-1-888-486-4722
OSLA Servicing-1-866-264-9762
ECSI-1-866-313-3797
CHILDCARE
Leech Lake Child Care Services Subsidy Program
We are here to support our families and providers during the Public Health Emergency-COVID 19. The purpose of the Leech Lake Subsidy Program is to help low income, Native American parents or legal guardians, who are working, enrolled in an educational program, or attending job training pay for childcare costs when they cannot receive services from any other agency. The program will pay for a portion of childcare costs according to a family’s income and size. At this time, we are only taking applications for “essential working” families.
If this is something you are interested in or would like more information about, please contact:
Nicole Collins, Child Care Specialist
Email: Nicole.Collins@llojibwe.net
Phone: (218) 760-0133
Childcare at WHA
Hours of service are 7:30AM-4:00pm Monday through Friday. (Please call Marci Boes to register your children. 547-4206) Breakfast and lunch are available during this free childcare as well, at no cost.
employees who work in the following fields are eligible:
Medical Personnel
Essential County Emergency Workers Children of School Personnel
MNDoT Employees
National Guard (if activated)
Water Treatment Wastewater
Day-to-Day Operations for Gas and Electric Utilities
Emergency Response Workers for Gas/Electric Utilities
Food Distribution Workers
Public Works Employees
Solid Waste Management
Infectious and Hazardous Waste Management
Telecommunication Network Operations
Please see the following link for a more detailed breakdown of eligible workers:
https://education.mn.gov/mdeprod/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dDocName=MDE032076&RevisionSelectionMethod=latestReleased&Rendition=primary
If you have any questions or would like to add your 4-12 year old children to our childcare program, please call Marci Boes in the District Office 547-4206.