Now More Than Ever - Volunteers Make a Difference - click to read more about the following:

• CCA Volunteers! Time to Submit Your Hours
  
• CCA Makes a Lasting Impact with FMSC
• Greater Twin Cities United Way Action Day
• Help Feed the Critically Ill with Nourishing Food
• Bridging the Gap
• Other Upcoming Volunteer events

Don't miss upcoming volunteer events:

Read the weekly CCA Announcements, visit the Volunteer web page and/or the CCA Event Calendar

CCA Makes a Lasting Impact with FMSC 

By Thom Schultz 

We invite you to bring your family and friends to pack meals for starving children at Feed My Starving Children. The next CCA event is Tuesday, September 23, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:15 p.m., at FMSC in Coon Rapids.  

Hunger is one of the world’s most urgent and heartbreaking crises. It is a silent killer, responsible for half of the deaths in children under the age of five. For millions of children around the globe, malnutrition robs them of the chance to grow, learn and thrive. But there is hope — and it starts with a meal. 

That is where CCA and Feed My Starving Children step in. This year alone, 37 CCA volunteers have packed over 9,300 life-saving meals – enough to nourish 26 children for an entire year, giving them the strength to survive, grow and dream about a brighter future. 

But beyond the meals themselves, the act of volunteering sends a powerful message: We see you; you matter. For the communities receiving these meals, it is a reminder that people halfway across the world care enough to act. And for volunteers, it is a chance to tangibly fight hunger -- knowing that just a couple of hours of work will help save lives. 

Imagine a world without hunger. Every meal you pack brings us one step closer to that vision.  

To register for the September packing event, click on FMSC. Together, we can make a lasting impact!

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Greater Twin Cities United Way Action Day 

By Shirley Boyd 
 
On Thursday, August 7, GTCUW celebrated the tenth anniversary of Action Day - a community-wide initiative to ensure local students return to school with the supplies they need to thrive in the classroom and beyond. And CCA volunteers were there to help again.  
 
Since its inception in 2016, Action Day has supported more than 375,000 students. It has grown from serving 6,000 students annually to more than 62,000. CCA has been volunteering at Action Day since it was first hosted by the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center in 2019. This year, 20 CCA volunteers packed 400 backpacks in one hour! 
 
Why Action Day matters: 

• Without Action Day, one in ten students in the Greater Twin Cities will return to school without essential supplies. 
• Today, 36 percent of Minnesota households fall below the ALICE threshold (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) - households that are employed but struggling to meet basic needs. 

  
Action Day 2025 was hosted by the Minnesota Wild at the St. Paul River Center, where thousands of volunteers packed 36,000 backpacks! Together with satellite-location and home packing events, more than 62,000 K-12 students across the Twin Cities metro area will face the first day of school with a smile and much-needed school supplies.  

After the day of packing was completed, 130 nonprofit partners and school districts picked up the backpacks, which they will distribute to local area students. This amazing event was made possible due to partnerships between and among GTCUW, Minnesota professional sports teams (Vikings, Twins/Saints, Wild, Loons, Timberwolves/Lynx), multiple corporate and nonprofit partners, school districts, volunteers, and more. 

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Help Feed the Critically Ill with Nourishing Food      

By Jan Weisberg and Jerry Lichtsinn  

This fall, CCA members have two food preparation events coming up at Minneapolis Open Arms Kitchen – a nonprofit organization that prepares and delivers free meals to the critically ill. To participate in either event - September 11, or October 8 – or both, sign up via the CCA Website’s Event Calendar (click here to view).  Cargill employees sign up on iCare. 
 
Volunteers are the heart and soul of Open Arms. We have had two amazing events so far this summer! In the four hours of volunteering, our teams, which consisted of CCA alumni, Cargill employees, friends and family members: 

•    Chopped 110 lbs. of produce
•    Portioned/chopped 248 quesadillas and 100 lbs. of pork loin  
•    Bagged 27 lbs. of English Muffin 
•    Packed 530 meals and 425 nausea care packs 
 
“We really value your time and appreciate your generous contribution to helping us nourish our neighbors facing life threatening illnesses!” said Dana Kuehn, Open Arms partnership development officer.  Dana also passed along a heartfelt comment from one of their clients: “I just want to spread my ‘opens arms’ to all of you. I’m so appreciative of everything. I almost break down in tears when I see what people give. You brighten my day, It’s a big deal, a huge deal to me.” 
 
What we do does make a difference to the critically ill in our community. Hope to see you at one of the upcoming events. We need you now more than ever! 

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