What started in the basement of a Wayzata church 43 years ago has since flourished as a way to ensure the basic needs of the community are being met.
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Giving Back
This year, many Plymouth parents are choosing to celebrate by giving their children gifts of experience spreading goodwill and generosity in the community. Here are some ways to give back this season while spending time with those who make the holidays most special.
In 1996, Wayzata businessman Bob Fisher had an idea: What if he slept out in the cold, like hundreds of homeless Minnesotans do each night, to raise money to buy Thanksgiving dinners for 100 families in need?
Long-time Plymouth firefighter Jared Stotts recalls a time when firefighters gained valuable experience with live fires in abandoned homes and properties donated to the city. “Now Plymouth is more developed,” he says.
Plymouth residents and diehard fire department volunteers Steve and Joni Marti would say it themselves: The first couple of years of the Plymouth Firefighter 5K were less than glamorous.
When given the opportunity to nearly double a child’s likelihood of going to college, most of us would say we’d take it. But what if, in doing so, you ended up feeling you were the one who received the greater gift? It’s all possible with a program called Kinship.
Annuals, perennials and tomatoes—oh my! IOCP helped community members ring in spring on May 16 at the Annual Plant Sale, hosted by St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church. Thanks to the more than 90 volunteers, IOCP received a total of $13,000 for the 4,000 plants available.
As a veterinarian and a chemical engineer, respectively, it’s no surprise that education is important to Jennifer Hanson and Matt Thell. Jennifer works at Rockford Road Animal Hospital and Matt works in international strategy at General Mills.
In 1999, Interfaith and Community Partners’ Spread Your Wings Gala looked a bit different than it does now.
Last November, Cowboy Jack’s restaurant had black smoke billowing from its kitchen roof at dawn. Within 30 minutes or so of arriving, Plymouth firefighters had the fire under control and its cause under investigation.
During the annual Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners’ 2014 Sleep Out event, community members spent the night in cardboard shelters, slept in their cars, had 24-hour bonfires, walkathons, culinary showcases and more.
