New Richmond’s Our House location hosted an event for Dairy Month, where Mayor James Zajkowski and Senator Rob Stafsholt both attended as live music played and residents ate pancakes, bacon and eggs on Wednesday, June 26.
“We just wanted to go back into our community and thank the local farmers, because without the farmers, we wouldn’t be able to provide bacon and milk and eggs,” Our House’s Dannielle Despiegelaere said. Despiegelaere, executive director of the New Richmond location, said the local farms “do a lot of donations, but we wanted to purchase [products] as well.”
New Richmond’s Mayor already had some familiarity with Our House, having worked at a pharmacist for Family Fresh before taking office. He wanted to go to the event because of that, and because of what month it was.
“As people age, they give good care, so I thought I’d just stop by and say ‘hi’ and have a little breakfast,” Zajkowski said.
Stafsholt — on the Committee on Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry — once worked in the food business, and he still resides on his family's farm near New Richmond.
Stafsholt said that places like Our House are a necessity. "We have to places like [Our House] for our seniors and our older generation to go to and for us to take of them with the dignity and respect that they deserve."
New Richmond’s Lead Resident Care Assistant Dani Reali and Despiegelaere said they try to emphasize events like this for their residents.
In the past, multiple Our House locations organized a Prom, where residents — in dress attire donated by the community — danced to music played by retirees. There was even a coronation. This year in New Richmond, Harry Oldenburg and Irma Rupe were crowned king and queen.
St. Croix Hospice provided the music for the Dairy Month event, covering songs such as "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver and "Take A Chance On Me" by ABBA as residents dined.
Our House reported that for the event, they went through Neumann's farm in Osceola for syrup and apple butter, Crystal Ball Farms in Osceola for milk, Utecht's Home Grown Pork for sausage and bacon and the eggs came from a variety of small local farmers
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