Through its participation in National Make a Difference Day, Admission Possible celebrated service by harvesting canned goods from neighborhoods across the Twin Cities. Dedicating their Saturday to the cause, more than 1,000 Admission Possible students, staff and volunteers traveled door-to-door in 15 metro locations on Saturday in search of non-perishable food items for donation to the Emergency Food Shelf Network.
Students from the 19 Admission Possible partner high schools engaged in a friendly competition to see which high school group could collect the most donations to help those in need. In total, they gathered more than 7,000 non-perishable food items.
Admission Possible makes community service a key component for the low-income students participating in the organization’s free, after-school college preparatory programming. By encouraging students to develop an ethic of service, Admission Possible helps them see their own potential for making a difference in their communities and develops important leadership skills. Each student completes a minimum of 16 hours of community service during the two-year program.
“Trick-or-Canning was a tremendous experience. It was the first time that I’ve ever done anything like that. I hope we do it again next year,” said Robbinsdale Cooper junior Markell Slaughter. “In the Twin Cities, there is plenty of food to go around, but there are still people in need of food. That is a problem.”
“We’re helping other families who aren’t as fortunate and need help,” said Highland Park senior Kim Hines. “It’s good to know that you’ve helped someone.”
After the surrounding neighborhoods gathered a cornucopia of non-perishable food items, Make a Difference Day participants gathered at Minneapolis Sports Center to measure the harvest and celebrate their hard work with a service rally. This year Robbinsdale Armstrong High School collected the most donations per student.
“I hope each one of you has been inspired to give back to your community today, and to stay involved in the future,” said Delinda Rood, Admission Possible Twin Cities development director, in her closing remarks to the students. “You have shown your appreciation for the community support that makes our program possible.”
