Community gatherings, volunteer events across Minnesota mark 25 years since 9/11 attacks
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Hundreds of volunteers filled Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul on Friday morning, filling bags of rice and lentils to stock food shelves around the area.
It was the fifth annual meal-packing event in St. Paul commemorating 9/11.
The nonprofit 9/11 Day organized more than 50 similar events across the country Friday. It’s an annual tradition with a goal of encouraging community service in remembrance of the lives lost in the attacks. In St. Paul, they worked with Second Harvest Heartland to distribute the meals to food shelves.
Sarah Moberg is the CEO of Second Harvest Heartland. She said it’s a way to remember the lives lost on 9/11, and help the community.
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“It’s really impactful,” Moberg said. “I think that food has the power to bring people together, has the power to unite us.”
Organizers expected the volunteers to pack 268,800 meal bags.
Jason Scott, who works for Delta Airlines, came to volunteer at the event. He was working in an office building next door to the Pentagon on 9/11, and he said he likes marking the day with something hopeful and helpful.
“I absolutely love being around this kind of energy, the very positive energy, people coming together,” Scott said. “You can’t forget, but you can move forward. And today, I think, is proof of that.”
Other events taking place around Minnesota on Friday will mark the day with ceremonies and music.
In Minneapolis, residents can listen to a tribute concert at the Lake Harriet Bandshell at 7 p.m., with performances by the 204th Army Band and the Twin Cities Trumpet Ensemble.
That concert has been a tradition for several years, but organizers say this one will be the last. Organizers canceled it in 2023, citing a shortage of volunteers.
At Providence Academy in Plymouth, first responder vehicles from at least 19 departments across Hennepin County took part in a procession Friday morning, ahead of a ceremony. The school planned to have 2,977 American flags on its grounds, one for each life lost on 9/11.
Several fire departments around the state marked the day, too. The North St. Paul Fire Department set out on a remembrance walk from city hall. And in Duluth, firefighters hosted their annual stair climb, hiking up 2,200 steps at Amsoil Arena — the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center.
St. Cloud, Cass County and Edina were among other communities with events planned commemorating the day.
