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UMN Rochester Hosts Second Annual Community Day of Service to Celebrate and Support Rochester
Large group of University of Minnesota Rochester students in matching maroon shirts pose indoors, smiling and making hand signs for a group photo.

The University of Minnesota Rochester celebrated its second annual Community Day of Service, a campus-wide initiative that gives back to the Rochester community that has generously supported UMN Rochester over the years.

On Saturday, September 26, UMN Rochester students, faculty and staff came together for meaningful service projects across the city of Rochester. From crafting fleece blankets for families at the Ronald McDonald House to harvesting vegetables for Channel One Food Bank, volunteers gave time, energy and heart to a wide range of local organizations. 

“Community Day of Service allows individuals to come together as a larger group, leading to great impact on the community,” Vice Chancellor Heidi Anderson-Isaacson said. “The day itself is more than about what we are able to do in one day, but it also exposes our students to community organizations they can support throughout their entire academic career at UMN Rochester. It also instills a mindset of giving back to their communities long after they graduate from the University of Minnesota Rochester.”

The purpose of UMN Rochester’s Community Day of Service is to:

  • Connect students with meaningful service and community-based learning
  • Promote civic engagement and leadership
  • Strengthen relationships between community partners and UMN Rochester

Volunteer opportunities included:

  • Ronald McDonald House: Creating goodie bags, cards and fleece blankets to support families with hospitalized children.
  • Paws and Claws Humane Society: Making DIY dog chew toys using recycled t-shirts.
  • The Landing: Supporting guests experiencing homelessness through bingo, administrative help and donation organization.
  • Quarry Hill Nature Center: Celebrating National Public Lands Day by removing invasive buckthorn to protect native ecosystems.
  • Channel One Food Bank: Helping harvest vegetables and cleaning up a partner garden to support food access across the region.
  • Rochester Art Center: Providing Creative Studio support and helping prepare for Free Family Day, fostering community through art.
  • “A Litter Bit Better” Community Clean-Up: Clean-up exercise along the Silver Lake riverbank and Soldiers Field.
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