1.1A Senate resolution
1.2congratulating Neighbors, Inc. on its 40th anniversary.
1.3WHEREAS, organizations which take an active and involved role in the betterment of their
1.4communities perform an important service deserving of special legislative recognition; and
1.5WHEREAS, Neighbors, Inc. was created in January 1972 in response to an unemployment crisis in
1.6northern Dakota County to make food, clothing, and basic services available to people and families in
1.7emergency situations so that they could remain independent and self-sufficient; and
1.8WHEREAS, Neighbors was formed by 16 members of six South St. Paul churches, and that first
1.9year, 392 families received emergency assistance at the Neighbors' Food Shelves; and
1.10WHEREAS, the first official office for Neighbors was in the Nan McKay high rise building in
1.11South St. Paul, and by 1979, the office, Clothes Closet, and Food Shelf occupied about 1,000 square feet
1.12of space in the Globe Publishing Building at 222 North Concord Exchange; and
1.13WHEREAS, by 2009, Neighbors provided over 54,000 units of service, over 336,000 pounds of
1.14food, and over 27,000 volunteer hours of service; and
1.15WHEREAS, in 2011 the number of families being helped increased to 3,590 and almost 1,100
1.16people volunteered their time serving at Neighbors with over $2 million worth of food, clothing, gifts,
1.17toys, and other donated items distributed to people in need of assistance; and
1.18WHEREAS, the ever-growing need for assistance in the community led Neighbors to move to a
1.19new building at 222 Grand Avenue West in South St. Paul, which will have 19,000 square feet of space; and
1.20WHEREAS, the organization today still has only 15 paid staff members, several at one-half time,
1.21and offers 14 programs, including the Food Shelf, Summer Meal Program and Child-Friendly Food Packs,
1.22Clothes Closet, Emergency Grants and Financial Counseling, Tele-Care and Transportation, Come As You
1.23Are, Referrals, and In Service Learning, to the communities of South St. Paul, West St. Paul, Inver Grove
1.24Heights, Mendota, Mendota Heights, Lilydale, and Sunfish Lake; and
1.25WHEREAS, on January 13, 2012, Neighbors celebrated its 40th anniversary with coffee, cake,
1.26punch, a Neighbors Trivia Contest, and a short film about the organization's history; and
1.27NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota that it
1.28congratulates Neighbors, Inc. on its 40th anniversary of outstanding service to its communities.
1.29BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is directed to prepare an enrolled
1.30copy of this resolution, to be authenticated by the Secretary's signature and that of the Chair of the Senate
1.31Rules and Administration Committee, and transmit it to Neighbors, Inc.

1.32 1.33 1.34

Cal R. Ludeman Secretary of the Senate

David H. Senjem Chair, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration

1.35 1.36

Katie Sieben State Senator, District 57

1.37 1.38

James Metzen State Senator, District 39