Mankato Clinic Foundation Awards $5,000 Grant to NicBluCaresNow.com

NicBluCaresNOW.com is an online community resource directory for Nicollet and Blue Earth County residents to find the help, people and services they need.   

MANKATO (November 15, 2021) — To address the needs of residents in the Mankato region, the Mankato Clinic Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to fund NicBluCaresNOW.com, an online community resource directory that consolidates free and reduced-cost social services into one central database. In 2019, the Mankato Clinic Foundation awarded $5,000 to help launch this site.

On the NicBluCaresNOW website, people can search the directory for food pantries, housing, clothing, transportation, medical care, parenting support, financial assistance, education, employment, legal assistance and other services and resources. The directory also highlights places, groups, and activities that promote wellness, belonging and social justice.  

“The Mankato Clinic Foundation saw a great need for an online directory to empower people to find help, services and resources for themselves or a friend, coworker or neighbor who is struggling. We are proud to help make this directory available to all who live here,” said Dr. Sreelatha Spieker, Mankato Clinic psychiatrist and foundation board member.

The NicBluCares mission is to expand the community’s compassion and capacity to respond to the needs of all people. To that end, NicBluCaresNOW.com has a “Suggest Program” button at the bottom of every page for community members to enter local programs, services and resources.

“We are working to build a compassionate community, a place where everyone feels they belong and where we care for one another during crisis and need. We recognize that caring for one another is everyone’s responsibility. The NicBluCares directory is truly a safety net of support for all who live here and a vehicle to deepen our social connections and resiliency,” said Mary Ann Boe, NicBluCares executive director.  

The Mankato Clinic Foundation provides grants every quarter to organizations and initiatives that promote and improve community health and wellness in the communities the clinic serves. The physicians at the Mankato Clinic provide the majority of the foundation funding to give back to the community. Applications are available at www.mankatoclinic.com/mankato-clinic-foundation.

NicBluCares is a national pilot of Compassionate Communities, a worldwide movement. Residents of Nicollet and Blue Earth Counties are building a safety net of community support, strengthening our compassion and capacity to care for one another in times of crisis and loss. NicBluCares programs include NicBluCaresNOW.com and Kato Towns Compassionate Charter.