More than 100 volunteers are needed to help package the meals Wednesday, June 23 from 3 to 7 p.m. at St. James Lutheran School in Howard Lake.
Cash donations are needed by Monday, June 21, said Bonnie Engel, who is helping to organize the event.
“Because it’s all volunteer, every single penny goes to the purchase of the foods,” Engel said.

The fundraiser’s goal is to purchase 30,000 meals.
“To do that, we need to raise $6,000,” said St. James Lutheran School secretary Viann Montgomery.
The average cost to produce each Kids Against Hunger meal is 23 cents, according to the organization’s website.

“It’s wonderful,” Engel said.
The meal ingredients include fortified soy, vitamin and mineral powder, a dehydrated blend of six vegetables, and long-grain rice.
“The ingredients are all there, and we need volunteers to weigh them into individual bags,” Engel said.
A box that costs $32.40 provides 216 meals that are rich in nutrition, providing all the nutrients a child needs for good health. The food has a shelf life of at least three years.
“You cook it with water, and it becomes their meals,” Engel said. “For many of these children in crisis situations, that’s the only meal that they’re getting.”
The meals are brought to children in disaster situations in many countries, as well as the US.
“It’s worldwide, and it’s local,” Engel said.
Both children and adult volunteers are encouraged to help package the meals Wednesday, June 23.
“If people want to work only one hour or the whole shift, that’d be great,” Engel said. “Any time is appreciated.”
The five area churches that are involved in the fundraiser include Blessed Hope, First Presbyterian, St. John’s Lutheran, and St. James Lutheran Church all of Howard Lake, and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Waverly.
To give a donation or sign up to volunteer, contact Bonnie Engel at (320) 543-2264, or Curt Forst at (320) 543-3736.
To learn more about Kids Against Hunger, go to www.kidsagainsthunger.org.

The FFA members planted the crop plot early May 19. They began at 7:55 and worked until about 2:00 in the afternoon planting over 38 different varieties of soy beans. Assisting the FFA members was Pat Bakeberg who was a great help in planting. He donated his time and equipment, along with driving the tractor and demonstrating how to change the seed. Another activity that has consumed most of these past three weeks is the Landscaping Project. The project started in the area surrounding the memorial to Maddison Kleve, “Who wants to sit on a beautiful memorial and stick there feet in dirty weedy grass.” Said FFA Advisor Mr. Weninger who started the project. With his leadership and huge amounts of effort from the Ag. Mechanics class, the HLWW FFA placed pavers in a basket weave pattern in the area around the memorial.

It did not stop there, they are continuing on to areas in front of the school and surrounding sidewalks. Although the excitement does not end with these events as a few members, seeking to learn more, plan for summer camps such as SGLC, SLCCL, and WLC. SGLC, a summer camp for Greenhands, is being attended by freshman Raechell Bayerl, Josh Laxen, Chris Marketon, Chris Cox, Emily Mages, and Becca Zander. At this camp the freshman will learn how to be further involved in their SAEs (supervised agricultural experience), parliamentary procedure, and chapter, regional, and state events, “ I am excited to meet new people and to go rock wall climbing!” said excited freshman Josh Laxen.

SLCCL, a camp for older members, touches on the same thing as SGLC, but more in depth and with more intensity, Sarah Marketon, a sophmore attending the camp said “I am very excited, I’m looking to learn new ideas to get members involved.”   This camp will be attended by Sarah Marketon, William Schanus, Ashley Murphy, Magalie Diedrich, and Joel Koch. Both of these camps will be held in Hackensack from June 28th to July 1st. WLC, is a different situation, this is an event where Sabrina Keiser, Rebecca Groos, and Jake Demarais will be visiting the city of our government, Washington D.C. They will learn in great detail methods of leadership and see first hand the result of the great leaders of our country. Also this month, on the 19th of June, the HLWW FFA chapter is holding there annual Breakfast on the Farm. It is on the Bakeberg farm. At this event there will be petting zoos, feed samples, ice-cream and cheese samples, and a lot more fun. For more information you can visit the website breakfastonthefarm.org.

At the conclusion of the race, there is a drawing for door prizes.  Anyone wearing their Good Neighbor Days shirt is eligible for the door prizes.
At 10:30 a.m. there will be a paper airplane contest under the tent by the fire barn.

All ages are welcome to make an airplane and fly it for prizes.  Prizes are also given for the best decorated planes – so kids can start making their airplanes at home.
The shirts will be available at Howard Lake Drug starting Monday,  June 14.  Shirts can also be purchased from Addie Mucha, call (320) 543-3543 or Carol Sideen.

The young men climbed on the school roof Monday night and hung a sign, some orange mesh fencing and a few pink flamingos. The sign read, “Seniors 2010.”

The students were suspended Tuesday. One of the students was supposed to compete in the state track meet Friday. He won’t be allowed to take part.

Minnesota bands are encouraged to apply! The music performed at the contest should fit within the genres of “Folk”, “Bluegrass”, “Blues”, or “Americana.”

Applications for the contest can be obtained from the CRA website www.crowriverarts.org, or from the RiverSong website www.riversongfestival.org or by calling CRA at 320-587-0899. Applications must be received by July 9, 2010.

About Crow River Arts

Crow River Arts (CRA) is a non-profit, volunteer driven, member supported organization. Our vision is to provide education, entertainment and opportunities for community participation across a vast canvas of art related events.

Metz is an experienced prosecutor, having served as an assistant Carver County attorney and assistant McLeod County attorney for 11 years. While with the Carver County attorney’s office for four years, Metz served as a hands-on prosecutor, prosecuting high profile cases such as the Chanhassen home invasion kidnapping case, the Gaylord chief of police for misconduct of a public official, and a Wright County deputy for domestic assault with a gun.

Metz was the first prosecutor in Carver County to file criminal charges against an unknown suspect in the Chanhassen home invasion case using only the suspect’s DNA profile. He has extensive jury trial experience, including prosecuting murder cases, and arguing numerous cases at the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.
Metz’s experience spreads beyond just criminal prosecution. For seven years in McLeod County, Metz handled child protection cases, civil matters, juvenile cases, and child support cases. Metz has also served as a special assistant county attorney in Sibley County, Wright County, and Scott County.
Metz graduated magna cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law and currently serves as a member of the law school’s board of trustees. His service also includes acting president of WMCL’s alumni board, which he has been a member for nine years.

The law school’s dean, Eric Janus, stated, “I was excited to hear Mark is running for county attorney. Mark is a leader at the law school. He inspires others with his passion, personable nature, and sense of humor. He leads by action and is guided by principles of teamwork, fairness, and integrity. I have no doubt that Mark will be a tremendous county attorney and serve the citizens of Carver County with the same leadership and passion he has served William Mitchell.”
Metz’s experience has included serving as a volunteer ethics investigator for the lawyer’s board of professional responsibility and he is a past president of the Eighth District Bar Association. He has been an adjunct law professor at William Mitchell College of Law for the past five years and lecturer at Hamline Law School.
Metz currently operates his own private law firm, Metz Criminal Defense, in Victoria. He also resides in Victoria with his wife, Kari.