Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - Day of ServiceMonday, January 20, 2025

Action for Change 

On MLK Day, St. Peter and Gustavus will join together in honor of Dr. King's legacy to build a “Beloved Community” and work on issues of social justice and equity. MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all people to engage with their community and create constructive action. As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'' 

Engagement Event

An opportunity to learn about issues of justice and equality at a local level, discover short and long-term service opportunities, receive tools for advocacy, listen to clips from speeches of Martin Luther King Jr., and practice self-reflection.

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location: Campus Center Banquet Rooms at Gustavus
Free walking tacos and prize drawing.

Stories and Conversation Events

A time for people to tell stories and be in conversation about living into MLK’s “dream” and how the dream is not yet realized.

Time: 1 - 2:30 p.m. 
Location: Center for Inclusive Excellence at Gustavus
Free wings.

Time: 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Location: St. Peter Community Center - Senior Center
Free dinner provided in partnership with HyVee

All aspects of the day are free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the the St. Peter Good Neighbor Diversity Council, Gustavus Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies Program, the Gustavus Center for Inclusive Excellence, and the President's Office.

St. Peter Organizations Participating

Organization Name
Mission
Involvement Opportunities
St. Peter Good Neighbor Diversity Council

Our mission is to encourage people to embrace the growing diversity in our community, and not to fear it. We do so through community conversations, educational programs, and a variety of events throughout the year.

The council welcomes your input and ideas on ways to embrace and to celebrate our increasing diversity in St. Peter. Please contact us at stpetergoodneighbor@gmail.com

Introduction to Islam and Muslims
Thursday, March 7, 2025
6-8:30 p.m.
St. Peter Community Center - Senior Center

St. Peter Festival of Nations
Saturday, May 3, 2025
Johnson Hall at Nicollet County Fairgrounds

AMP/ The Reach AMP is the alumni of The Reach, who has aged out and is now mentoring new members. 

Te REACH Resource Center supports youth who are at risk, experiencing homelessness or have run away. Since opening its doors in 2011, The REACH has served nearly 5,000 youth in the Mankato area.

The REACH is a place where youth ages 16-24 can acquire the knowledge they need to be healthy, independent and successful adults

Ways to Support our Work
To donate basic need items, please view our current “wish list” on Amazon. We accept donations on Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Make a financial donation to support our mission.

If you are interested in providing a meal for the resource center, you can view available dates on our SignUp Genius calendar.

St. Peter Area Food Shelf

Area food shelf assisting community members experiencing food insecruity. Founded more than 40 years ago, the St. Peter Area Food Shelf is a nonprofit organization providing food to those in need. We are operated by staff and numerous volunteers, with food items generously donated by individuals, businesses, grocery stores, schools, churches, and civic organizations.

St. Peter Food Shelf works with The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Second Harvest Heartland, South Central MN Food Recovery, and local retailers to rescue unused food or purchase food at reduced prices. 

We’re always looking for volunteers and partners. No special skills are required, simply the desire to help others!
Volunteer opportunities include:
Distribution Assistant (Includes stocking, cold items distribution, and shopper checkout)
Cleaning
Unloading Supply Trucks
Food Rescue
Direct Food Delivery (during service hours)
Board Member
Volunteer coordination
Fundraising and Donor Engagement

Interested in volunteering? Please fill out our VOLUNTEER APPLICATION 

Learn more about how to donate food or funds to support the food shelf. DONATE

League of Women Voters- St. Peter Area The League of Women Voters - St. Peter Area is the local group within the state and national League of Women Voters. We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on "Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy" through voter education and engagement, advocating for democracy and encouraging civic participation.

In St. Peter, we provide election and voting information at community events and put on candidate forums for state legislative, county, municipal and school board elections. The League supports advocacy in many areas - for example, climate change - and our members work with partners from other organizations to achieve these goals.
Become a member! Help us expand our services and learn how you can educate and activate voters!
JOIN/RENEW 

Find out when and were to vote.


Indivisible St. Peter/Mankato
Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato, one of thousands of Indivisible Groups around the United States, is a community group dedicated to positive, progressive action to make people’s lives better. We seek to create a more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive world by inspiring and empowering members to get involved in democracy and their communities.  Hosting "A People's Inauguration"
Monday, January 20
From 2 - 4 p.m.
St. Peter Community Center - Senior Center
Share your values and take your own “oath of office” to work for a better, more inclusive America. 
Grass & Roots Outdoors (St. Peter)

Connecting kids to outdoor play experiences and nature-inspired learning, rooted in a commitment to increasing access for all young people and their families.

We are motivated and inspired by three things:
1) Making meaningful CONNECTIONS. 
2) Supporting and empowering KIDS.
3) Protecting and enjoying accessible spaces and places outdoors

If you're able to donate new- or gently-used outdoors kids' gear, reach out to us. Appropriate gear (clothing, snow, rain, hats, footwear, etc) in the right size is so important, to enjoying the outdoors.
 
Do you have a related passion, skill, or big dream? Partnership opportunities? Sponsorship?

Please reach out to us. 

 Hikmah

Hikmah means wisdom. The HIKMAH program seeks to mentor and support Somali-American families in their education and to promote equity and inclusion in the classroom. We work to serve the growth of knowledge, well-being, and leadership potential within undeserved communities. We work to advocate, educate, and empower individuals to improve their career goals, encourage self-reliance, and envision a better future.

We always welcome volunteers.
We ask that our volunteers are able to help with the program at least once a week. Volunteers will be trained before starting. If you love teaching and want to make a difference in the lives of our youth, please contact us. 

Sign-up to volunteer.

Learn more about accessibility resources at Gustavus. For a specific accessibility request for an event, please complete this form.