Around the Agency – September 2026 Edition

I had been thinking about joining the National Parks Conservancy Association for a while and I took the leap with this giving project. With National Parks Week coming up August 23-30 this felt like perfect timing. Our national parks are treasures to be protected and I appreciate that this organization works to protect the parks, wildlife and clean water within their ecosystems.

-Megan (https://www.npca.org/)

When cat&tonic shared the $40 giving project, I knew I wanted to make a difference in helping feed people who didn’t have steady access to food. Food scarcity and hunger break my heart. I headed to Costco and bought protein bars and individual bags of quality trail mix to provide a good mix of protein and vitamins. I keep them in my car to hand out to people on the street who are in need of food. The second part of the project was recognizing that people don’t just need food, they need love to go with it. Especially people who feel unseen in the world. I broke out my markers and blank cards and brought them to the table at cat&tonic and asked everyone to create a picture or a message or both and I would add a card of creative love with each bar and bag I hand out. The ripple effect of this project filled a need and created a lot of love all the way around in the process.

-Joan

I chose to make a donation to The ARC Minnesota. This is a non-profit organization that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Having had a sister with an IDD, I understand firsthand how important this support is and how it directly impacts lives.

-Sheryl (https://arcminnesota.org/)

I often have great interactions with people who are experiencing the need to ask for help from strangers on the street. Most of the time my contributions are relatively small but this $40 gave me the chance to give a larger amount along with the smile and eye contact I always try to give. $20 went to a nice lady on the median with glitter on her face and a beautiful smile, $5 went to a man who asked his god to bless me, and $10 went to a couple of kids selling candy who giggled when I also helped them avoid getting run off by an authority figure. The last $5 I donated to the Orphan Kitten Club. Because kittens.

-Beth (https://orphankittenclub.org/)

I ended up making a donation to Northern Clay Center. I’ve been thinking a lot about where I’d be without the creative outlets I have outside of work. It has been a great way to center myself emotionally and art does that not just for the artist, but the people who encounter their work as well. The Northern Clay Center’s primary purpose is education and I wanted to support them in empowering their students’ expression.

-Sam (https://northernclaycenter.org/)

At Cub Foods I was buying groceries and encountered a woman who didn’t have enough money to pay for all of her groceries, so I gave her $40 to cover her food.

-Q