The Norther’s salute to volunteers happens every year in April. Here are the three featured volunteers for 2025.
Moe delivers hope one meal at a time
Story and photo by Patti Hoffmann
After retiring from UPS with 36 years of service, Steve Moe found himself reflecting on the next chapter of his life.
Grateful for his pension and the opportunities retirement had afforded him, he knew he wanted to give back to the community. Knowing the challenges that many older folks and veterans face in getting nutritious meals while living on a budget, Moe decided to volunteer his time to help in his own way.
Four and a half years ago, he joined the East Side Meals on Wheels program, delivering meals to those in need. Moe’s connection to the organization goes beyond his volunteer work — he recalled how, 20 years ago, his mother relied on Meals on Wheels. More recently, his partner received meals while recovering from a broken femur. Moe sees his contribution “as a way to keep people going and living in their own homes.” He finds it very satisfying that he can do a little something to help.
Jessie Hausman, executive director of East Side Meals on Wheels, speaks highly of Moe’s dedication. “Steve is not only a volunteer delivery driver but also a back-up driver. He’s always willing to step in if someone’s schedule changes or if someone else is unable to drive due to illness,” Hausman said.
“We have a handful of volunteers who we call on frequently, and Steve is one of those stalwart supporters. We love and appreciate all our volunteers, but Steve goes above and beyond with the time he puts in and his willingness to help out in a pinch.” Hausman said Moe exemplifies the spirit of giving back and making a meaningful difference in his community.
East Side Meals on Wheels,1510 33rd Ave. NE, serves 850 meals each week in Northeast Minneapolis, Southeast Minneapolis and St. Anthony Village. Driving routes typically consist of around 10 stops and take approximately one hour to complete. In these uncertain times, funding from state and federal sources is unpredictable, so donations are greatly appreciated to help continue this important service. Go to www.eastsidemeals.org for volunteer driving information or to make a donation.
Volunteer spotlight: Neil Granlund
Story and photo by Andrew Lake
After his eldest child entered Columbia Heights Schools a little over a decade ago, Neil Granlund felt the urge to get more involved in his local community.
A Columbia Heights resident since 2006, Granlund had dabbled in volunteering previously, including presidential campaign work dating to 2007. But it was only after their two children (wife, Mary Granlund, is the current School Board chair) began their local schooling that the volunteer bug really took hold.
Following forays into political activism with city council and county commissioner elections in 2016 and 2018, an invitation from Connie Buesgens led to Granlund joining HeightsNEXT in 2020.
Buesgens, a Heights City Council member and president of HeightsNEXT, invited Granlund to come and pick tomatoes in Blooming Sunshine Garden, a free urban food forest created by HeightsNEXT in Lomianki Park. The invitation evidently had ulterior motives, as Buesgens next asked Granlund if he was interested in “helping us shovel mulch next year.” Granlund (now a board member of the local nonprofit) was smitten. “Now every Tuesday (during the season) … there’s a group of us that go out there and water, weed, plant … and harvest,” said Granlund.
HeightsNEXT, with the mission statement “To build a resilient and sustainable community in Columbia Heights,” has overseen many community events since its incorporation in June 2017, including CoHi Con, Columbia Heights’ own gaming and sci-fi convention that took place March 1 this year and was led by Granlund for the first time.
“He stepped up and did CoHi Con and it … went smoothly and it was great,” said Buesgens. Granlund has also volunteered regularly at two of HeightsNEXT’s other annual events, Cheers for Beers and the Columbia Heights Pride Festival.
A full-time materials engineer, Granlund started volunteering at his kids’ school robotics club about the same time he became involved with HeightsNEXT. He’s also delivered groceries for SACA, organized Feed My Starving Children groups at work and taken tickets at the gate of the Jamboree for the Columbia Heights Boosters. After a paid gig at Art to Change the World to help create the Mississippi River Pearl, an interactive sculpture made with debris found along the river, he stayed on as a volunteer.
Granlund was quick to respond when asked to give reasons that others might consider when deciding if they should volunteer themselves. “You get to meet people that you would never have met before,” he said. He also cited new skills that he’d learned, when he recalled his own volunteer experiences.
“The way I feel about things is … you want to kind of broaden your horizons and experience a little bit … of everything … get outside your comfort zone. Maybe you’ll like it, who knows?”
Megan MacLeod, all around volunteer
Story and photo by Al Zdon
Megan MacLeod, St. Anthony’s “Villager of the Year,” gives all the credit to her mother for her dedication to her volunteer work.
“My mom, Margaret, was a strong Catholic and she believed that serving others is what Jesus would do. She wasn’t super religious, but we were a family of five and we were continually volunteering at church.
“Among other things, mom believed that the best way to meet people was to volunteer.
“I think I just have that volunteer gene.”
MacLeod grew up in Maple Grove and then attended a Catholic boarding school in Crookston. Then it was on to Brainerd Community College and finally to St. Cloud State to earn her bachelor’s degree. She eventually earned a master’s degree at the University of Minnesota.
Her chosen profession was teaching special education children, and she was a teacher in the Northeast Metro Intermediate School District 916, headquartered in White Bear Lake, until her retirement.
She lived in Northeast for a while and then moved to her present house in St. Anthony in 1992.
“I taught special ed kids from grades six through 12, and I would try to interest them in volunteering. They’d say, ‘What do I get out of it?’ and I’d say, ‘A pat on the head.’ In the end, though, I got many of them to do volunteering, like recycling.”
“The idea was to do something for others without getting paid for it. Volunteering is working for others with others.”
MacLeod said, “I find myself working with different age groups in all kinds of different situations. Except for my bad back, I’d probably do more. There’s so many opportunities.”
Her activities include VillageFest, St. Anthony Kiwanis, Meals on Wheels, helping out with kitchen food shelves, packaging and distribution of food to people in foreign countries in the Feed My Starving Children organization and helping out at funerals at Nativity Lutheran Church.
She has been volunteering at VillageFest for over 25 years and last year was in charge of the fundraising group. She has decided to retire from VillageFest. “Oh, I’ll probably still work the bingo.”
In Kiwanis, she’s the chair of the service committee. The club makes dressers for new residents. She rings the bell for the Salvation Army. She helps clean up Salo Park. She volunteers at Hidden Treasures thrift shop. She worked on the St. Anthony census committee.
“Everything is different. It fills my soul in different ways. I like the varied things I do in different ways.”
She worries about cuts to federal funding that might curtail services to those in need. “What happens if that money is taken away? Maybe it’ll be more important then to get out there and help. It might even be more vital to be helping.”