NDSU students tour Dorothy Day Food Pantry, Micah’s Mission
Students in the disaster resilience and emergency management program got extensive tours of CU facilities to understand how they function and the role they play in an emergency/disaster
NDSU disaster resilience and emergency management student Riley Quern, right, listens during a tour of Micah’s Mission.
North Dakota State University students in the disaster resilience and emergency management program toured Churches United facilities to get a better understanding of how they work and how they would function during a disaster or emergency on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
Nonprofits often play a critical role in emergency/disaster situations, making it important for the students to understand how a nonprofit like Churches United functions. With that goal in mind, students toured Dorothy Day Food Pantry and Micah’s Mission as part of their visit. Churches United leaders at each facility gave tours and explained the day-to-day operations of each building, all while students asked questions.
At Dorothy Day, students learned that in the month of September alone, the food pantry served 1,347 families and distributed 52,432 pounds of food to our neighbors facing food insecurity. The students also got a chance to speak with volunteers at the pantry, who explained their roles and what they do.
Over at Micah’s Mission, students got an extensive tour of the shelter, community center, kitchen and other key components of the shelter. Students learned that our facilities include on-site case management, shelter nursing, a community center and hot meals served twice daily.
Following the tour, students remarked that they felt informed and energized by their time at our facilities.
Leaders at each site were impressed by and appreciated the students’ thoughtful questions and genuine desire to learn about our mission.
This unique opportunity not only presented Churches United with a chance to demonstrate to area college students what we do, but also encouraged us to think critically about how we would respond and adapt to emergency and/or disaster situations.
Churches United welcomes students of all ages and encourages educators to reach out for opportunities to complete coursework, volunteer hours or to tour our facilities and learn a little more about what we do. Contact Volunteer and Donations Coordinator Keely, keelyh@churches-united.org, to set something up.