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No garden seeds for area families

To the editor:
For many years, Lakes & Pines Community Action Council, Inc. with its central office in Mora, has provided garden seeds for low-income families throughout the seven-county service area of Aitkin, Carlton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs and Pine counties.
Master Gardeners from the University of Minnesota County Extension offices have handled the distribution of the seeds the past few years in each county.
The purpose of the program was to assist low-income families with vegetable seeds to plant a garden.
The harvest of vegetables would ultimately stretch their food dollars. By working with Master Gardeners, households gained information on how to preserve vegetables for year around use.
Due to the unallotment of state funds, which includes the Minnesota Economic Opportunity Grant (MEOG) by Gov. Pawlenty, Lakes & Pines will not be providing a garden seed distribution this year. There is also a proposed cut to the MEOG funds by 53 percent for the next biennium; therefore, funds will be extremely limited for Lakes & Pines to provide direct client services in the future.
Funds were cut for the rent and a mortgage assistance portion of the MEOG grant. These funds were used to assist families to stop eviction or foreclosure.
The funds were also used to pay damage deposit or first monthís rent when someone was homeless and needed help to move into permanent housing.
Funds were also cut for the issuance of any grocery vouchers. Funds were cut for the Education Assistance Program that provided $500 per student for post secondary education to assist with books, tuition and other costs.
Along with these cuts for direct service funds, infrastructure administration funds were cut as well.
These cuts are an example of the governorís unallotment of funds which includes the MEOG grant that is the core funding to Community Action Agencies across the state of Minnesota.
These direct service cuts are a vivid example of what the reduction in MEOG funds will mean to low-income citizens throughout Lakes & Pines service area, as well as throughout the state.
Ruth Hagfors
Special Projects Coordinator

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