Volunteer! It's the thing to do.

Did you know that 1 in 11 Minnesotans are struggling with hunger? This is a problem that is affecting every corner of Minnesota: urban, suburban and rural. In continuation with giving back this summer, LeadMN staff and cabinet volunteered for two hours at Second Harvest Heartland. Giving two hours of our time may not seem like a lot, but we were able to pack 7,000 pounds of potatoes in that time. Imagine if everyone had two hours to give, imagine all of the good that could be done in that time.

This past June, LeadMN celebrated its 20th anniversary by giving back to the community that has supported us with a service project in Dakota County. During this project, volunteers pulled garlic mustard in Lebanon Hills Regional Park for two hours. Another two hours spent giving back to our community, making a change even in the smallest of ways.

Two hours is not that long, it is only 120 minutes. The average person spends over two hours a day on their phone. It takes two hours to travel from St. Paul to Duluth by car. You can arrive in Washington, D.C. in two hours by nonstop flight. But two hours can make all the difference when you are volunteering.

For the next year, LeadMN will be focusing on volunteering. Giving back to our communities and our state. If you have a volunteer project that you would like LeadMN to help with, let us know! And in the mean time, LeadMN challenges you to give two hours of your time and volunteer. Expect nothing in return and give time, a valuable resource that we all tend to waste.