USD Office of Service Learning and Community Engagement Receives Grant from 9/11 Day and AmeriCorps
Designed to expand volunteering, the 9/11 Day of Remembrance Campus Service Grant, which is also financially supported by the Popeyes Foundation, supports local volunteer and service-learning projects to honor the families affected by September 11, 2001. USD’s OSL was chosen from hundreds of submissions from across the country as one of the recipients.
This year, OSL will partner with the Dakota Days student organization and the USD Foundation and Alumni Association to host the Feed the Funnel for 9/11 Day service project in collaboration with The Pack Shack. USD’s Alternative Way of Learning, a co-curricular program that connects students with community service activities, will co-host.
“This funding plays a critical role in making the Feed the Funnel for 9/11 Day event possible by covering half of the total event costs,” said April Lee, assistant director of Service Learning & Community Engagement. “We are extremely grateful for the support provided through this grant.”
USD held Feed the Funnel for 9/11 Day for the first time in October 2024 and brought together over 200 volunteers to package 25,000 meals. In 2025, the event took place during the week of Dakota Days and doubled in impact, bringing together 436 volunteers to package over 50,000 meals.
"Bringing everyone together for one cause is the ultimate dream for any community collaborator or service-learning department. To see an event like this come to life for the third year in a row is incredible,” said Lee. “The generous support of the USD and Vermillion communities, along with the continued engagement of our alumni, has been instrumental in making this event a success.”
Continuing the momentum, USD aims to match the 2025 milestone and pack 50,000 meals, ensuring that one single day of service can create an impact that reaches far beyond campus.
“Feed the Funnel for 9/11 Day will help volunteers understand just how prevalent food insecurity is for our local communities,” said Lee. “They will put on a hairnet and gloves, and pack meals while celebrating the immediate positive impact that these meals will make.”
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