Operation Minnesota Nice

I sat down to write this entry and immediately thought "if people love yesterday's entry, they will surely love today's!" because the agenda was nearly identical. I didn't have a productive morning but then I read a little, worked on putting guitar chords to memory, and played some Nintendo 64. I know I've mentioned the Nintendo 64 a couple times before - I have something planned but want to blog about it when it's completed. If all goes to plan, that should be in the next few weeks. I did go through a couple of piles of stuff in my room, although I spent a little too much time simply sitting in front of the computer without accomplishing too much.

Today's holidays were Zipper Day, International Dance Day, and Pinhole Photography Day. To be honest, the holidays weren't on my mind that much today, so I'll just have to ramp it again tomorrow. Then again, I do love zippers and their ability to make modern pants a thing.

TC

The dining on campus is 100% ala carte, so everyone is given a lump sum of money to use throughout the semester. For the students that love coffee or the vending machines, the money can run out a few weeks ahead of schedule. Me, on the other hand... I have plenty to spare. I regularly ate at the Student Union during my first couple of years here, but I eat in my apartment much more often now. I think it partly due to me wanting different food choices and me thinking about the nutritional value of their options. (Okay, a third reason would also be me being lazy. Might as well be honest.) It also makes a difference when I'm away from campus a few days every month for competition trips.

Now that it's the end of the spring semester, all of the meal plan money is set to expire soon. The staff usually has their money go until July, but the entire meal plan system is getting re-structured, so we have the same deadline as the students. I try to use some of this money for food in the summer, so things like peanut butter, instant mashed potatoes, and those little boxes of raisins. I also spend some of that money on Operation Minnesota Nice.

Operation Minnesota Nice (OMN for short) is an organization that sends care packages to US troops in the Middle East. My mom has been active in my hometown chapter for a while and has spent part of that time as one of the chapter leaders. To keep this brief, everyone in the chapter has a name of a soldier that they send a monthly box to. Every month, the chapter gathers and every member brings 10 of an item. [Food is the biggest umbrella of ingredients, but people also bring toiletries, puzzle books, or little gadgets. My rule of thumb is that anything that fits in the box can go as long as (1) it won't melt (2) it's not particularly smelly (3) it doesn't have pork in it.] Anyway, at the meeting, 10 different members gather at a table and swap what they have, so you start the day with 10 packets of sunflower seeds and end up with 10 assorted things to send off to your solider.

I think OMN is a great program and honestly, I can't think of any better way to use my remaining meal plan money while giving back to someone else. Since the campus is trying to get rid of a lot of their stock, they sell many of their items in bulk. Unfortunately, the price isn't too different from buying the same amount of individual granola bars, but it's at least easier to transport up north. I also feel like if I had to use all of my remaining money on myself, I'd be bringing in a lot of junk food. I do this a little bit for some of the student groups I oversee, but still. It would either be a lot of junk food or a ridiculous amount of canned vegetables.

(By the way, I might as well say that I'm not doing this because my mom or OMN told me to. I honestly think it's a great way to help others out and since I made a OMN supply trip today, it was on my mind.)

So, if you want to get involved with this organization, let me know and I can make sure you get hooked up with a chapter near you. I don't know if there are similar organizations in other states, but it doesn't hurt to ask, right? If you're not sure what items would do well in care packages, here are my recommendations:

- Beef Jerky
- Sunflower Seeds, Pistachios, or Peanuts
- Microwavable Meals (soups, pasta, rice, etc.)
- AA Batteries
- Water Flavoring Powder/Drops

Have a great Tuesday and DFTBA.