The transportation company Newtrax , Inc ., which was founded in 2011 , also found itself doing a lot of pivoting during the pandemic , and the changes made have ended up helping the nonprofit to better serve the community . When the number of people in need of rides went down due to the pandemic , Newtrax found other ways to serve .
“ Prior to the pandemic we were transporting 600 people a day to and from their service programs . Now it ’ s closer to 500 people daily . We have more than made up for that though by helping other area organizations such as the White Bear Area Food Shelf with food distributions , and by helping the White Bear Area School District with some of their transportation challenges ,” said Mike Greenbaum , Newtrax ’ s Executive Director .
During an 18-month period at the height of the pandemic , working with Loaves and Fishes , the Y . M . C . A ., Ramsey and Washington Counties and the St . Paul School District , Newtrax delivered over 1 million meals and 70 tons of food to the community . The company also created a program to purchase meals from local restaurants and deliver them to seniors and families in need in the White Bear Lake Area and Mahtomedi School Districts .
More recently , Newtrax started helping the White Bear Lake Area School District with transportation for its Transitions Plus Program . The mission of Transition Plus is to provide services to students with educational disabilities and transition needs in post-secondary education and training , employment , and independent living to promote a successful transition from high school to adult life .
In 2022 , plans call for the expansion of Newtrax ’ s Senior Circulator Loop program , which is designed to make it easier for seniors to get from their homes out into the local community . “ We are looking to expand to new communities , really focusing on the more urban Ramsey County communities like East St . Paul , North St . Paul and Maplewood ,” said Greenbaum . The Senior Circulator Loop currently operates in White Bear Lake , Vadnais Heights , Mahtomedi , Forest Lake , Roseville and Stillwater .
Newtrax also provides transportation services for Solid Ground , a nonprofit that helps struggling families in the community .
“ What we have been able to do is look at the unique transportation needs of our community and collaborate with other organizations to come up with innovative solutions to help the community out . It ’ s very rewarding work ,” said Greenbaum .
Newtrax operates fifty 15-passenger buses . The company was founded by Merrick Inc ., and PAI , which both provide day programs and an array of services for adults with disabilities . Its original purpose was to provide more efficient and environmentally friendly , safe rides for those two organizations .
Newtrax Inc .
3700 Highway 61 N White Bear Lake , MN 5510 Phone : 651-789-6221 E-mail : info @ newtrax . org
Solid Ground has faced a lot of challenges due to the worldwide pandemic . “ COVID hit our families pretty hard ,” said Andréa Kish Bailey , Director of Philanthropy for the nonprofit , whose mission is to prevent and end homelessness for families with children in Ramsey and Washington Counties .
In 2021 , the organization served 553 adults and children in 147 families . The majority of the families were assisted with housing in the organization ’ s site-based and scattered-site housing programs for families experiencing homelessness .
“ Our goal is to meet our families where they are . We operate from a housing first approach . We get people into housing first and then we come along side to identify what barriers they may be experiencing to housing ,” said Kish Bailey , who added that six percent more families needed help with housing than during the previous year .
Providing housing assistance was just one of the many ways the organization helped the community in 2021 . Their Homework Starts with Home ( HSWH ) Partnership was renewed by the State of Minnesota for another three years , and expanded into four more Washington County school districts .
A total of 20 families received housing choice vouchers through Solid Ground ’ s new partnership with Metro Housing and Redevelopment Authority ( HRA ). In addition , the organization partnered with the White Bear Area Food Shelf to provide a monthly , on-site , mobile market to families living at its East Metro Place Apartments , and more than 110 families received gifts through the Holiday Express .
“ To better meet the growing need for our services , we realigned our staffing structures and increased organizational capacity , thus ensuring future sustainability ,” said Kish Bailey .
Solid Ground
East Metro Place 3521 Century Avenue North . White Bear Lake , MN 55110 Phone : 651-773-8401 Fax : 651-773-1492 E-mail : info @ solidgroundmn . org
Office Hours : 8 a . m . to 4:30 p . m ., Monday through Friday , and by appointment
30 Northeast Metro Business