MNSU Community Engagement

09/01/2026

TUESDAY TOPICS
Did you know there is a dollar value associated with volunteer service? This research is done every year by the Independent Sector and published in April... coinciding with National Volunteer Month. When you serve, it's not just about finding a good way to spend your time, it gives back so much value and saves money and energy for our local community organizations.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Alumni Association MNSU Center for Global Engagement MNSU Student Government Maverick FSL Maverick Food Pantry

Independent Sector and the Do Good Institute estimate that the value of a volunteer hour was $36.14 in 2025 — a 3.9% increase from 2024.

08/31/2026

MAKE IT HAPPEN MONDAYS:
can anyone help fill this need?

Minnesota State University, Mankato Alumni Association

How you can help the Parvo Pups with Petsmart!

-Shop in store at PetSmart and let the cashier know your purchase is a donation to BENCHS. They will collect it for us.

-Shop online at petsmart.com and select “in store pick up”, and list BENCHS as the secondary pick up person. *Make sure Mankato location is selected.

-Shop online at petsmart.com and select delivery to 1250 N River Dr

05/25/2026

Twin Cities ASB …We are back! 3 days, 4 volunteer sites and many memories made. It’s safe to say that cities look vastly different when the purpose is serving and not centered on entertainment. We ate local, shopped local, and noted so many cultural aspects you don’t find at large entertainment venues.

We would like the give a special thanks to Central Presbyterian Church St. Paul, MN for hosting us, trusting us, and giving us the tools we needed to do this work.

Another big shout out to Arlington Hills Community Center and El Rio Vista Recreation Center for inviting us to use your showers. You have active and thriving spaces that we were thrilled to see!

05/25/2026

Twin Cities ASB. Day 3, site 4 …our final day was really meaningful as we served with Open Arms of Minnesota prepping one of their gardens for spring planting.

What began as a small effort to get nutrition to neighbors living with AIDS has grown over 3 decades to serve Twin Cities residents dealing with major medical issues such as MS, ALS, and more.

When illness strikes it impacts the body in ways we can’t imagine. A medical crisis means a financial crisis for many, which also means any thoughts of nutrition go out the window.

Open Arms grows food, cooks food, and packages food for distribution to those with medically specific nutritional needs. Over the course of one year they will work with over 6500 volunteers to make almost 1 million meals.

This experience was an amazing capstone to our 3 day adventure and we cannot recommend volunteering with this organization enough!

Centennial Student Union MNSU Center for Global Engagement MNSU Student Government Student Activities- Minnesota State MankatoMinnesota State University, Mankato Mavs In Action

05/23/2026

Twin Cities ASB day 2 work site 3 …Habitat for Humanity - Twin Cities

We had several tasks as part of the crew…

-Load morning dumpster with worksite debris for morning pick up. ✅
-Finish installing windows on 1st and 2nd floor and pull screens to box up for storage. ✅
-Lower exterior scaffolding in prep for siding and inspection ✅
-Clean worksite & organize scaffold pieces on the ground ✅

We definitely needed the showers we took afterwards. 😆

Habitat for Humanity continues to be a force for good in neighborhoods close to home in Mankato, the Twin Cities, and beyond. If you ever needed to make an easy decision in your life, saying yes to helping build homes is as easy as it gets.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Student Activities- Minnesota State Mankato MNSU Student Government Centennial Student Union MNSU Center for Global Engagement Mavs In Action @

05/22/2026

Twin Cities ASB day 1 site 2 was spent at The Works Museum helping staff sort Lego bricks…a major part of engineering program materials for elementary and middle school kids.

It was fun, it was full of Lego lore, and we got to meet really cool staff who love their jobs!

This organization supports academic STEM programs in the Twin Cities and beyond. We were so inspired by what they do!
Student Activities- Minnesota State Mankato MNSU Student Government Centennial Student Union MNSU Center for Global Engagement Mavs In Action Minnesota State University, Mankato Alumni Association

05/22/2026

05/22/2026

Twin Cities ASB day 1 stop 1: Living Well Disability Services Yard Heroes.

We got to clear away winter debris, clean and prep the patio by removing moss and tightening up furniture, trim some bushes, and plant a flower box and a veggie box! All that in 2 hours!

It was a joy to work with this program!

Minnesota State University, Mankato Centennial Student Union MNSU Center for Global Engagement MNSU Student Government Student Activities- Minnesota State Mankato Mavs In Action Minnesota State University, Mankato Alumni Association

05/22/2026

Ready to have your mind blown?

For the first time ever Mavericks are heading to the Twin Cities for a mini Alternative SUMMER Break adventure.

Typically, we travel to Kansas City during spring break, and that is still the annual plan…but this is new! We will be serving 4 different organizations over 3 days for up to 15 hours of volunteer time.

Fun fact, according to the Independent Sector one hour of volunteer time in MN has a value of $39.80!

This means 5 Maverick volunteers just gave almost $1000 worth of volunteer time back to Twin Cities communities. 🤯 today. We have 2 more days of service ahead of us.

Keep track of our adventures and cheer on our students as we fully plug into this experience.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Alumni Association Minnesota State University, Mankato Centennial Student Union MNSU Center for Global Engagement College of Education - Minnesota State University, Mankato Student Activities- Minnesota State Mankato MNSU Student Government

05/08/2026

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! And what better way to celebrate than by welcoming future educators back from their field teaching experiences with a book fair!

This initiative is spearheaded by our student volunteer leadership team Mavs In Action in partnership with College of Education - Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Helping new teachers stock their first classroom bookshelves addresses several critical impact areas:
- Start up cost reduction for teachers
- Literacy support for students
- Recycling books to keep them out of landfills.

We are thrilled for this partnership and wish our new educators the best of luck on their teaching journey….

Congratulations Mavericks!

Minnesota State University, Mankato MNSU Center for Global Engagement Minnesota State University, Mankato Alumni Association Centennial Student Union