Letters of intent to bid will be received by the Central MN Council on Aging (CMCOA) for the provision of grocery shopping assistance services to persons age 60 and over.

The Groceries Plus program is a volunteer based program that provides assistance with grocery shopping for a client aged 60 and over who has difficulty getting to the grocery store, or completing the tasks associated with shopping.

A volunteer can accompany the client to the store and assist in shopping, or can go to store alone with a list from the client if client is unable to accompany the volunteer. The program also includes the supportive activities of carrying groceries into clientís house and putting groceries away, at clientís request.

Letters of intent to bid will also be received for the provision of congregate and home delivered nutrition services to persons age 60 and over.

The senior nutrition program provides nutritionally balanced meals, both congregate and home delivered preparation and delivery, and nutrition-related services to address the nutritional and social needs of frail older adults and others at the greatest risk of losing their independence.

The program provides nutritionally balanced congregate meals in a group and/or restaurant setting and home delivered meals to those homebound by illness, incapacitating disability or otherwise isolated, and nutrition outreach, nutrition education and linkages to other supportive and social services.

The service areas for both include the fourteen county area of Benton, Cass, Chisago, Crow Wing, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, Wadena and Wright counties.

Letters of intent must be mailed to or hand delivered to the Central MN Council on Aging and received by 3:00 p.m., May 25, 2006 . No electronic or facsimile copies will be accepted.

Please refer to CMCOAís Web site at www.cmcoa.org to obtain a letter of intent to bid information packet.