Vasa Children's Home Comes Full Circle

Vasa Children’s Home, where Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota traces its 157-year history, first served as an orphanage and then a children’s home for youth with disabilities who now live in more individualized community settings.

In November, Lutheran Social Service opened a new production kitchen on its campus to meet a growing need to provide healthy breakfasts, lunches and snacks to children and youth through schools, after-school programs and day cares. The kitchen currently serves the charter school co-located on the campus, as well as the local YMCA, with funding from the Minnesota Department of Education. 

“We’ve come full circle and are so excited to be offering this new service in the region,” said Kristin Quenzer, senior director of LSS Meals. “There is such a tremendous need to provide healthy nutrition to children and youth in Greater Minnesota.

Second Harvest Heartland reports that one in eight children in Minnesota doesn’t have adequate nutrition to thrive. Quenzer said there are few meal providers available in Greater Minnesota to serve due to the complexity involved in understanding the many requirements in public-funded services.

For 50 years, Lutheran Social Service has served as a respected meals provider offering nutritious, well-balanced, affordable meals to older Minnesotans. While remaining committed to serving older adults, LSS is using its knowledge and experience to expand service to meet the growing nutrition needs among youth, serving 652,000 youth meals in 2022.

Lutheran Social Service is also teaming up with Second Harvest Heartland to provide meals to Minnesotans ages 18 to 60 through the American Rescue Plan, initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic. As COVID-related grants that provide meals to Minnesotans end in 2023, Quenzer said she anticipates that there will be greater need to support those Minnesotans with nutrition needs as well. 

With 35 kitchens statewide, Lutheran Social Service is planning to open a new production kitchen every year for the next five years to expand meals services and help meet growing nutrition needs.

“With more production capacity and ability to buy more food at less cost, we’re able to operate more efficiently and serve more communities,” Quenzer said.

Lutheran Social Service is currently hiring cooks, kitchen helpers and food transport drivers for its new service in Red Wing. To learn more, visit lssmn.org/careers/lssmeals.