THE GLOBE, WORTHINGTON, MINN. | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2021
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PRIDE IN OUR PEOPLE
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LENDING A HELPING HAND Heron Lake woman focuses on others By Julie Buntjer jbuntjer@dglobe.com HERON LAKE — When Lisa Jean Smith sees a need in her community, she either meets it or leans on her connections to make it happen. Such is the case with Heron Lake Caring Connections, a Facebook page the longtime Heron Lake resident created in December as a place for local people to help local people. The idea for the page grew from Smith’s attempts to donate an artificial Christmas tree with all of the trimmings in early December. There were no takers. At the same time, she listed a box of free Bedford bendable ribbon that garnered all sorts of interest. “The second one in line said she was disappointed because she wanted to make items for her family because they didn’t have much money,” Smith shared. She offered the woman the tree and trimmings, and the woman was pleased to get it. The ordeal left Smith wondering why it’s so difficult to connect with people in need. Here she was, wanting to give something away, but she couldn’t find any takers. She thought creating a Facebook page specifically for Heron Lake area residents would encourage not only an avenue for people to reach out for help, but foster a giving spirit among those who can offer what they have. “I had seen in some of the other local communities where people put out that they need a box of diapers,” Smith said. “That’s what I thought our site could be.” Smith created the page in memory of her husband, who died a year and a half ago. “He grew up in a very poor family — the youngest of seven kids,” Smith shared. “He used to talk about Christmas time. His dad was a janitor at school and would bring home the Christmas tree at winter break. A lot of times, there were no gifts.” The Facebook page went live Dec. 8. Smith is thrilled with the support, though the page hasn’t seen many requests yet. “Sometimes we just have to pay better attention to our surroundings,” she said, noting that one day she noticed an individual walking without socks. She put together some necessary clothing items and delivered them to the family’s home. “They were very appreciative,” she said. “That was a big lesson for me. We have to watch
what’s going on around us. People are very proud, and it’s hard to admit when you need help. “It’s about ‘Need a hand, lend a hand.’ “I really wanted to create an environment where people feel comfortable and there’s no judgement,” Smith said. “Everybody struggles at some point in their life. We can probably all pinpoint a time. When we can give back, we do.”
Connecting with the school
Smith’s actions didn’t stop at creating a Facebook page. She teamed up with Niki Fisher, parttime dean of students and part-time Greater Minnesota Family Services mental health liaison at Heron Lake Elementary, to make a difference for students in the Heron Lake and Okabena schools. “In a smaller school, you get to know people on such a personal level,” Fisher said. “You become aware of different home lives and different family situations. “I’ve been here six years, and I would have never anticipated the needs six years ago as I do right now,” she added. The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized those needs. “There’s just a lot of parents working fulltime jobs and they’re still not making ends meet,” she said. “I think that’s the hardest part — they’re very willing to work, they’re just not able to keep up.” Fisher spoke of people who had second jobs at restaurants, bars and other places impacted by the pandemic who lost their secondary income. She sees the fallout from that in the classroom, with some kids saying they don’t have soap or detergent at home, or that “Mom has to wait for the food shelf to open,” which is why they couldn’t bring a snack to school. It can be heartbreaking to hear those words spoken by kids. It was for Fisher, who not only recalls being in that situation herself once upon a time, but also because she’s a mother of six. Fisher responded by reaching out to fellow staff, encouraging them to donate clothes their own kids had outgrown to the school. “I appreciate people giving me clothes, so when my kids have outgrown them, I give them back to the school,” she said. “Our free and reduced lunch is very high here. We live in a high poverty area.” Several years ago, a third-grade teacher at Heron Lake Elementary started a Coins for
Photos by Julie Buntjer / The Globe
Heron Lake-Okabena Dean of Students Niki Fisher (left) is joined by Heron Lake resident Lisa Jean Smith in the Caring Connections School Store inside the Okabena High School.
Special to The Globe Donated and purchased items for the store include everything from personal hygiene products to school Coats, boots and shoes are among the items available to Heron Lake Elementary students who are in need. supplies and clothing.
Rather than help just one family, Fisher suggested collaborating on a Christmas basket program. Word was spread about what was needed, and within 10 days enough supplies had been collected to fill 15 gift baskets for patrons of the Heron Lake Food Shelf. The baskets helped to alleFrom baskets to viate the loss of Givsupply shops ing Trees, which were When Smith initial- not offered at many ly contacted Fisher, she churches in 2020 due was seeking to “adopt” to the pandemic. a couple of families who With the success of might be in need at the gift baskets, Smith Christmas and provide and Fisher then worked them with gifts such as to address some needs the Heron clothing, food and toys. within Kids program in which students donated their spare change. All of the money raised was used to purchase coats, hats and gloves for students who didn’t have them. “About two years ago, the need outpaced what was collected,” Fisher said.
Lake-Okabena school district. Fisher and fellow teachers created a list of 35 students in K-12 who could use a little pick-me-up for the holidays, while Smith solicited donations and went shopping. There were enough supplies to fill a necessities bag with personal care items, new mittens and a hat for each student, along with clothing sets, coats and shoes and a collection of 200 new toys. In addition, each student received a gift certificate for pizza. When the students selected their bags and items, it surprised
Smith that the clothing was nearly always the first stop the kids made, while the toys were the last thing they went for. She told of one student who chose a pair of underwear before looking at anything else. “Every necessity bag was given out and every jacket was given out,” Fisher said. Leftover toys were divided among teachers to restock their classroom prize boxes. When everything was distributed, Fisher told Smith of her hopes to start a school store filled
HELPING: Page 2