Eagan High School Interact students shop for shelf-stable grocery items for “Blizzard Meals” at Costco. From the left are Kayden Nicholls, Sam Wilcox, Jade Nicholls, Ani Spoor and Nick Meyer. The project was organized by Wendy Steger with Rotary Club of Eagan and Interact Club Co-President Jade Nicholls. After 12 hours of pre-planning, the teens decided on the best use of the $1,000 funding and purchased food and took charge of the assembly process.
Twenty Eagan High School Interact students and 25 Rotary Club of Eagan members assembled 314 “Blizzard Meals” for community seniors who could get stranded by severe weather or illness this winter. Each package contains cans of meat, fish, fruit, and soups and packages of crackers, and desserts suited for extended storage.
Eagan High School Interact students shop for shelf-stable grocery items for “Blizzard Meals” at Costco. From the left are Kayden Nicholls, Sam Wilcox, Jade Nicholls, Ani Spoor and Nick Meyer. The project was organized by Wendy Steger with Rotary Club of Eagan and Interact Club Co-President Jade Nicholls. After 12 hours of pre-planning, the teens decided on the best use of the $1,000 funding and purchased food and took charge of the assembly process.
Submitted photo
Twenty Eagan High School Interact students and 25 Rotary Club of Eagan members assembled 314 “Blizzard Meals” for community seniors who could get stranded by severe weather or illness this winter. Each package contains cans of meat, fish, fruit, and soups and packages of crackers, and desserts suited for extended storage.
The Rotary Club of Eagan presented a joint volunteer opportunity to the Interact Club at Eagan High School to assemble “Blizzard Meals” for seniors unable to leave their home or get meals delivered due to severe weather or severe illness.
“I was so impressed by the enthusiasm for service and volunteerism demonstrated by the Interact students,” said Wendy Steger, pastor at All Saints Lutheran Church and leader of New Generations activities with the Rotary Club of Eagan.
“This service event was a great opportunity for multiple generations to come together in the Rotary mission of ‘Service Above Self.’” Twenty-five Rotarians and 20 Interact students worked two hours to assemble 314 “Blizzard Meals.”
Steger secured a location at ArtWorks and $1,000 funding from Rotary.
Nicholls, a senior at EHS, enlisted a small group of students that spent 12 hours behind the scenes to calculate the best use of funds, compare food prices for canned tuna, chicken, soups, fruit, and packaged crackers and desserts, and arrange for transportation and storage prior to the mid-November event.
At the packing event, Nicholls and her crew set up the assembly area and demonstrated the best
bagging techniques, conducted ice breakers, and served pizza to loosen up the group before starting work.
“This project quickly became a large-scale event that required a lot of funding and manpower,” said Nicholls.
“I loved getting to know about the future volunteer opportunities I will have access to as well as just getting to know some local community members.” The total spent was $1,155.33. Nicholls will present “Blizzard
Meals” as her senior project for the National Honor Society.
Interact Club currently boasts 265 members, established by Eagan Rotary in 2012 to bring together young people ages 14-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self.
The Rotary Club of Eagan, founded in 1987, is affiliated with Rotary International and boasts 64 members.
The Rotary motto is “Service Above Self” and guided by the Rotary Four Way Test.
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