Hundreds volunteer in St. Paul on 9/11 to turn day of sadness into a day of positive action

When Aaron Williams watched a second plane rip into the World Trade Center, marring the clear blue skies above New York City with red flames and black smoke, he knew “our country was never going to be the same.” A sense of patriotism led him to meet and get to know first responders. On Thursday he joined Minnesota’s governor and hundreds of volunteers for the fourth annual Twin Cities 9/11 Day Meal Pack.

Emcee Chad Lanners welcomed more than 500 volunteers to St. Paul’s RiverCentre, thanking them for helping to turn a day of “sadness and loss” into “one of the most loved and powerful positive impact days since 2001.” It was one of 24 volunteer projects across the nation organized by the nonprofit 9/11 Day, which assembles tens of thousands across the nation to package more than 9 million meals for needy Americans.

Before attendees bowed their heads in silence as Monica Hamling sang “America the Beautiful” near a flag held by Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Bret Huffines, Gov. Tim Walz thanked volunteers for gathering to help others.

“Each day brings us new trauma, as we saw yesterday,” Walz said, seemingly referring to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “And I think as 9/11 shook us to the core, it unified us in a way that we haven’t seen. To hear some of the laughter together, some of the camaraderie together, that’s healing, and that’s what we need. So 24 years later you’re still standing, you’re still here and we’re still unified.”

After Lanners’ countdown, volunteers donned gloves to begin packaging around 190,000 meals. The pitter-patter of macaroni shells pouring into measuring cups drowned the screech of packing tape and rustles from cardboard boxes. White hair nets covered attendees’ heads as they bobbed to “September” by Earth Wind & Fire and Prince’s “Little Red Corvette.”

Hanna Lord, 37, volunteered with co-workers from GeoComm. The company develops software for public safety officials, making Thursday’s event feel more important for Lord.

“It makes you feel proud of where you work, proud of the community you live in. Yeah, we came from St. Cloud, but we’re all in this together,” Lord said. “To take something as tragic as 9/11 and to turn it into something like this, to me that speaks volumes about what we do and who we are as Americans ... you can’t knock us down, we’re going to get back up.”

“Airplanes were weaponized against American citizens and to kill American citizens. Some of our flight attendants were flight attendants at 9/11,” Barnes said. “It’s important to re-establish connections with your neighbors, those close to you and those in your community and those in your state, and to remind each other that we are one community collectively. We’ve got to stop fighting with each other.”

Maddie Archbold with Second Harvest Heartland said the packaged meals will help Minnesotans at food shelves and meal programs across the Twin Cities.

Williams hopes that people remember the victims and families of those killed during and after the attacks, even as time passes.

“We’ve got to continue the service,” he said. “ It’s 24 years. It’s one thing to remember one year or a decade later, but it’s another thing to keep this service going so you don’t forget what happened that day.”