“As part of my first day of on-the-job training, the Associate Director of the organization wanted to introduce me to our community bank,” Christopher Anderson explained. “As the new executive director, I was the primary signatory on the account. I had always worked with large banks, so I was a little unsure of the service and professionalism I would experience.
“In a word, it was awesome,” Chris continued. “People would look me in the eye and say ‘hello,’ and by the second time I came into the bank, the staff would greet me by my first name. The fact that they would pay attention to me personally was something I hadn’t expected from a bank.”
Chris was hired at Western Communities Action Network in 2019. WeCAN, as the organization is known, with its office in Mound, was formed in 1989 by a coalition of nearly 30 churches.
“The initial focus of the organization was establishing a Meals on Wheels service in western Hennepin County,” Chris explained, “but over a relatively short time, they expanded the focus to address the lack of social service programs for low-income families in the area.”
Today WeCAN provides four key support services to the communities it serves:
- Food support in the form of Meals on Wheels and a Mobile Market;
- Employment counselling;
- Family support (providing school supplies and winter clothing to families in need); and
- Emergency Assistance (rental/utility assistance, vehicle repair, emergency pet care and other services for families coping with a short-term crisis).
“One of the encouraging things about our work is that we don’t do this alone,” Chris continued. “We have several on-site partners in our building. Hennepin County assigns a caseworker on site two days per week to assess eligibility for program services and financial aid.
“Another partner is the Sojourner Project. They provide support to people coping with domestic violence and abuse, and unfortunately, we have seen a real rise in the demand for those services since COVID,” Chris explained.
WIC (the federally-sponsored Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) is another partner housed in the building, and Chris is hoping that within a few months there will be an AmeriCorps staff person working there, too. Their focus will be finding housing for homeless individuals and families, and sadly, Chris notes, they have seen the number of homeless people in western Hennepin County triple in the last few years.
“We intend to be a one-stop destination for services,” Chris added. “With our amazing staff and the best volunteers you could ask for, I believe we accomplish great things for the community. I am so proud to work with this team, and honored to be a part of this incredible organization.”
For Chris, this is the culmination of a 30-year career dedicated to helping people. “My family lived in poverty, but that experience taught me to pay attention to my neighbors and to be open to what was going on around me,” said Chris. “I’d like to think it inspired me to do what I’m doing today.”
After earning a college degree in marketing and working for two years in a marketing agency, Chris realized his passion laid elsewhere. He went back to school to earn a degree in education, interned in an Upward Bound program, and was hired as the Upward Bound Director in Boston for 10 years. When an opportunity to move back to Minnesota presented itself, Chris quickly accepted the job as the Director of Community Outreach and Adult Faith Formation at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Excelsior.
“The work we do in the community is so critical, and I’m delighted we have such community-focused partners to work with at Minnesota Lakes Bank,” said Chris. “Kim Rostis and I serve together in Rotary, and she called 18 months ago to say that the bank was seeing issues with vulnerable adults in their service area. They witnessed examples of family members taking advantage of those seniors, and she asked if we could provide training for folks at one of the assisted living facilities in town.”
Chris added that Kim was one of several Minnesota Lakes Bank employees who have volunteered their time with his organization. Sherry Valley serves on WeCAN’s board, and Rose Espiritu, Austin Wiberg and Josh Gehlen have also volunteered with the organization.
“Their work in the community is a clear example of the wider vision the bank has about the role a community bank should play for its neighbors and community,” Chris concluded.