Volunteer to Assist a Professional Chef
Having previously announced OPEN ARMS as a volunteer project for working in a “state of the art kitchen” to provide meals for the needy, I was disappointed there was an absence of enthusiastic response on your part. BUT THEN:
March 14, this Star Tribune article grabbed my attention: “Food-focused nonprofits cater to the tastes of socially conscious.” Open Arms is one of three nonprofits that is engaged in a catering business at its Minneapolis headquarters in the Phillips neighborhood. Classically trained chefs, with the assistance of volunteers, prepare meals from locally sourced products. (Open Arms has its own urban farms and planting has now started.) “Food is Medicine” project prepares 11,000 meals weekly for people with life-threatening or chronic illness.
Does this energize you to make your contribution as a kitchen volunteer under the guidance of professional chefs? Or, would you deliver meals to clients? Or, how about taking the role of a farmer and work the urban gardens?
A volunteer application and an in-person orientation is required.
The next orientation dates are:
Tues., May 9 @ 5 – 7pm
Wed., May 10 @ 11:30 – 1:30pm
Wed., May 31 @ 11:30 – 1:30pm
Contact the University Retirees Volunteer Center for an online link to register as a volunteer and schedule the orientation.
[email protected] (612-625-8016)
Alan L. Kagan, Prof. Emeritus, Ethnomusicology
Project Director
News
The election of UMRA officers and new board members for 2024–25 will be conducted via an online poll from May 13 to 19, with the results to be announced at our annual meeting on May 21. Look for the ballot in your email inbox on May 13. Diane Young has been nominated to be president-elect.
“I convinced myself I could handle this problem without support groups or doing additional research, but that’s only because I didn’t want to make it any more real than it already was. Denial comes in many forms, and one is to avoid thinking about the problem any more than need be.” —Alice A. Larson
Meet UMRA member Peter Moe. He retired in 2023 after a career that spanned nearly half a century at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and is credited with developing the “Arb” into one of the few in the U.S. with world-class fruit and landscape breeding programs.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) has welcomed two new members with valuable skills and experience to the URVC Leadership Council: Lynn Slifer and Jeanne Jacobson.
The University plans to remove retirees from the @umn.edu internet identity domain on December 7. UMRA has advocated for ensuring continued access to this identity (including email, Google Workspace, and associated services), citing University retirees’ enduring contributions to and engagement with the University. Thus far, our efforts have not prompted any change of plans.
Leading the online Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays has been a labor of love for Kris Bettin. Alas, a change in family needs has necessitated her retirement. So, JOIE is seeking a new leader to join a savvy editorial committee of five and bring fresh ideas for continued development of the UMRA-sponsored journal.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to explore your photographic interests, hone your photographic skills, and hear what other retirees are up to, the UMRA Photo Club is a great place to be. We have fun! And whatever your skill level, there is room for everybody.
Soon you will receive an email or letter inviting you to renew your UMRA membership for the 2024–25 year. Please renew before you get busy with your summer activities. Your support helps to make our programs and many other member benefits possible!
This will be a new regular column where you can find organizational tasks that need your help! We are currently looking for help researching a new UMRA Membership Database and URVC volunteer database, and a co-producer for UMRA's Zoom webinars. See more details: