Six UMRA members recently joined more than 20 other volunteers to pack hundreds of bags of groceries as part of the Wellstone Neighborhood House Emergency Food Delivery program, providing food and other necessary items to families worried about their safety during the “ICE surge” in the Twin Cities. 

Once packed, the bags were sorted into predesigned delivery routes, and volunteer drivers had their cars filled with provisions to provide families with a week’s worth of nutrition. “We all want to help stressed communities during this difficult time in Minnesota, and Neighborhood House provides a place for us to serve,” said Michelle Trudeau-Spanjers, the key liaison with Neighborhood House for the University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC), 

Strong need for volunteers

This difficult community environment has created a strong need for volunteers to help many organizations with food sorting, packing, and delivery. Every Meal [everymeal.org] has developed an emergency program that delivers food directly to schools, most in the Twin Cities metro area, where families can safely access needed supplies. Drivers are asked to make one trip per shift, two shifts per month, to deliver these provisions for children and families. 

Second Harvest Heartland, one of the nation’s largest hunger relief agencies, provides healthy, nutritious food to people in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. In addition to sourcing and distributing food efficiently, Second Harvest Heartland also advocates for effective policies and programs, and invests in new ways to end hunger.  

Welcome future Gophers

UMRA Silver Gopher Service Corps volunteers welcome newly admitted students to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. The volunteers greet future Gophers and their supporters, help them navigate the campus, and direct them to their programs—all, of course, while singing the praises of the U. Everyone agrees that seeing welcoming and older faces makes the future Gophers feel connected. Future Gopher Admit Days are scheduled for February 27, March 28, and April 11. 

Academic Integrity Matters

Academic Integrity Matters (AIM) is a U of M program seeking volunteers to participate in discussions using principles of restorative justice to help students understand implications of their academic misconduct. 

Volunteers, acting as community members, represent the interests of the University in AIM Community Meetings. At these meetings, students explain what they have done and how they are impacted by their actions. Community members then share their account of how they are impacted, and also offer examples of how scholastic dishonesty impacts the broader community. At the end of each meeting, community members propose an educational plan that a student can complete in order to learn from the incident, demonstrate understanding of academic integrity, and repair harm to the University. 

Please go to urvc.umn.edu for more information on these and other opportunities to volunteer.

—Peggy Mann Rinehart