First meeting of the new Rotary year - and first in our new "in-person" location at the Shoreview Community Center!  Miriam provided a "member minute", going with the first job/worst job theme.  Miriam has fond memories of her first job as a teenager doing food prep at a nice supper club, which is where she also had her first date.  Her worst job was doing tax returns for H&R Block.  After her children were launched, Miriam returned to school and became certified as a therapist.

 

Our speaker for the day was Ken Johnson who serves as Postmaster of the Minneapolis area Post Offices.  Ken came to us through Kevin Keenan who serves on a citizen's advisory committee for the Postal Service.  We learned that although mail volume has decreased significantly over the past decade due to the move to digital forms of communication, package volume has increased just as significantly.  USPS has contracts with FedEx and UPS and therefore participates in delivery of some of their volume in addition to their own volume of activity.  USPS is in the midst of implementing a 10-year strategic plan known as DFA (Delivery For America).  DFA includes a move to electric powered delivery vehicles.  There is a consolidation going on which will decrease the number of Minneapolis area carrier centers from 40 to 6, which will help them maintain service levels despite ongoing staffing shortages that so many industries are facing.  The Twin Cities USPS area currently has several hundred open positions.   DFA will also bring about a simplification of mailing options, with all mail being delivered within 3-5 days, although there will still be an option to pay extra for priority delivery.  

Today marked our first noon lunch meeting that will be a regular event each 3rd Tuesday of the month.  As our 7:30 a.m. meetings no longer include breakfast, it was lovely to be able to meet in person at Shore96 for a meal together for the first time in over 3 years!  Our speaker, Kim Sacay, joined us in person also.  Kim is a Shoreview resident and spoke to us about her work with Foster Adopt Minnesota (www.FosterAdoptMN.org).  This organization, founded in 1980, supports Minnesota’s adoptive and foster families and the professionals who work in these communities.  There are currently 641 children in MN in need of homes.  Those kids who "age out" without being placed with a family face daunting statistics.  A majority fall into drug use and/or prison.  In fact 80% of Minnesota's prison population have been in foster care!  Foster Adopt Minnesota's programs are funded through the Minnesota Department of Human Services.