The NorthLakes 100 Who Care Ashland & Bayfield Counties membership selected the Bayfield County Department of Human Services to receive $10,000 for the Social Services category to support the Meals on Wheels service.
Bayfield County Department of Human Services (Bayco DHS), in partnership with the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (Red Cliff), provides home-delivered meals to an average of 160 seniors most days of the week. Beyond nutritious meals, drivers provide crucial personal check-ins with participants, often serving as the first to notice changes or hear about issues. These drivers create an important connection to office staff who follow up with additional resources and support.
The funding will address critical gaps in emergency preparedness for vulnerable seniors. Winter presents particular challenges, and historically, Bayco DHS and Red Cliff have provided nutritious, shelf-stable emergency meals to Home Delivered Meal recipients for use during bad weather or power outages. With previous grant funding eliminated, this support becomes essential. Additional funding cuts and program eliminations that low-income seniors depend on may result in food insecurity and inadequately heated homes.
The NorthLakes 100 Who Care initiative continues to benefit from the Dave Beeksma Memorial Fund. Created by Kathy Beeksma to honor her husband Dave, former mental health services director at NorthLakes, this fund provides $1,750 to each runner-up nominee in 2025. Recent social services nominees CORE Community Resources and The BRICK Ministries both received support from this memorial fund. As founding members, Kathy and Dave championed collective giving, and this fund continues Dave’s legacy of supporting community-enhancing nonprofits. Additional Community partnerships included the Wild Rice Retreat Center and our anonymous Bayfield Food donors.
The 100 Who Care chapters, founded and hosted by NorthLakes Community Clinic, follow the national 100 Who Care Alliance movement model. This concludes the 2025 giving rounds, which included arts, literacy, and museums (May) and environment, animals, garden, and recreation (July). For more information about giving opportunities, please contact Madelaine Rekemeyer at mrekemeyer@nlccwi.org.
Photo: Meals on Wheels representatives accept the NorthLakes 100 Who Care Ashland & Bayfield Counties collective funds.
