A Balm for Loneliness

Grants help to ease social isolation in Central Minnesota

By Suzy Frisch | Photography by Wyoming Area Creative Arts Community

Kids at the Hallberg Center for the Arts in Wyoming, Minn., were busy painting, creating, and making friends—having so much fun, in fact, that their grandparents and other seniors started to feel left out.

When word got back to the Wyoming Area Creative Arts Community that local seniors were eager for art classes, inspiration struck.

Executive Director Jess Eischens saw the opportunity, but she also knew a potential problem existed: transportation. Many older adults who no longer drive would struggle to attend. Around the same time last April, Eischens learned the Initiative Foundation was offering a special round of grants to alleviate loneliness and social isolation in Central Minnesota. She applied, envisioning art classes as the perfect outlet to meet seniors’ needs and nurture a community of art lovers.

The Wyoming Area Creative Arts Community was among two dozen Central Minnesota organizations—including nonprofits, schools, and local government units—to receive a grant ranging from $2,000 to $7,500. The organization used its grant to provide transportation for its new Hallberg Art Center senior art classes. Held at William O’Brien State Park, the classes drew about a dozen seniors each month for five months. Participants experimented with watercolors, pastels, acrylics and more while socializing with old and new friends.

“During COVID we saw how isolated seniors became,” Eischens said. “The people who got involved really liked the idea of being able to get away from their normal routine and do something different and fun. Meeting new people was a biggie, and so was being able to do art and create something different every month.”

The award paved the way for the arts organization to expand its senior outreach. After staff learned that participants preferred having instructors teach at their assisted-living locations, Eischens pursued other grants and highlighted the original program as a successful pilot. The organization now teaches 10-12 seniors weekly at local assisted-living facilities and the Hallberg Center.

A National Epidemic

The grants campaign was launched following former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s declaration that the country was in the grip of a loneliness and social isolation epidemic. The crisis is compounded by an overreliance on technology, changing demographics, societal shifts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and, more recently, the fraught nature of the nation’s political landscape.

“The toll this epidemic is taking on people’s physical and mental health is worrisome,” said Nicole Clements, nonprofit development program office at the Initiative Foundation. “It’s what prompted us to shape this special round of grants to support organizations with programs or proposals to unite people. Local people know their communities, and they know best how to address local concerns.”

As so often happens, demand for the grants outstripped supply. The Initiative Foundation received applications from 115 organizations requesting nearly $1 million. The Foundation awarded grants across the 14 counties and two Native nations of Central Minnesota to support everything from music and theater to hiking, mentoring, and skills development. Many of the programs were intergenerational, including Hike Learn Be, a St. Stephen nonprofit that received a grant for a nature buddies program where seniors shared outdoor experiences with young people.

Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools received a grant for its Saturday Night Live programming, a twice-a-month event for people of all ages offering activities like pickleball and Ojibwe crafts. In Delano, the grant helped community members create a mural mosaic of the city’s history.

Gathering ’Round the Table

In Mora, about 100 people gather every Monday for a hearty meal and conversation, thanks to Soup for the Soul. For 15 years, the nonprofit has lived up to its motto: “Dishing up meals with a side of kindness.” The Monday gatherings bring together community members and a dozen regular volunteers who prepare and serve the meals.

Long-time volunteer Kristen Pulford said the organization applied for a grant to provide free transportation for people in need. “We have weekly guests that look forward to being there. It’s a time for people to sit back and be served a restaurant-style meal,” Pulford said. “We have a cross-section of ages and quite a few senior citizens who come, and they look forward to visiting and getting out of their homes.”

Soup for the Soul also uses the opportunity to build connections among its volunteers. Members of local school clubs, civic groups, and youth sports teams often pitch in, further knitting the Mora community together. The organization routinely sends guests home with extra food and shares unused items rescued from local grocery stores with the Mora-area food shelf.

“People can come here knowing they are welcome and will be received by friendly people who care,” Pulford said. Whether it’s tired parents who want a night off from cooking, young people struggling to live independently, or seniors caring for an ill spouse who just need a break, “They can relax and interact with other people.” Pulford and her team also appreciate the peace of mind that comes with the Initiative Foundation grant. “It’s nice to know that someone values what you do and you have support,” she said, “because we’re all volunteers who just give our time.”