Volunteer Service Awards Nominations Still Needed!

Do you know a Maverick, Faculty/Staff person, or Community Partner that has given outstanding community service (as a student) or provided quality service learning opportunities (as an MSU faculty/staff or community partner) to our campus?

We invite you to fill out and submit our Volunteer Service Awards Nomination form! 

Nominations will be processed as they come in and award recipients notified by April 15th.

Awards Categories are as follows:

• Motivated Maverick: awarded to Mavericks who continually show up and serve when the need arises. These Mavericks will have 15 hours or more of volunteer service in the 2025/2026 MSU Academic year. They are aspiring leaders and bring others along for the journey. 
• Emerging Talent: awarded to Mavericks who are just starting out in their Maverick volunteering journey but jumped in and got busy in a short amount of time! These are Mavericks who have volunteered less than 15 hours of service in the 2025/2026 academic year but made a big impact!
• Volunteer of the Year: awarded to Mavericks for the 2025/2026 academic year, who bring the ideas, make the plans, lead the charge, and inspire the action of others. This may be awarded to one or more Mavericks who serve more than 15 hours of volunteer time collectively, while holding leadership roles or bringing innovative ideas for service to life through new initiatives or expanded programs.
• Inspired Ally: awarded to MSU faculty, staff, or Mankato community partners who provide service-learning opportunities to Mavericks, adding diverse educational experiences our students take part in and learn from.

Volunteer nominees can come from all areas of MNSU campus & Mankato regional life including meaningful impact in a classroom setting, an RSO, an honors program, a known student leader, a campus faculty/staff person, or Mankato community partner, etc. The possibilities for service are endless!

Click here to fill out the form or select it from attached registrations below. 

Help us celebrate Mavericks who make a difference!
 

On-Campus Volunteer Opportunities

Greek Week: Can Drive!
Greek Week Committee for Fraternity & Sorority Life
Tuesday April, 7 from 11am-3pm on Mav Ave
All donations will benefit the Maverick Food Pantry here on campus, so the more support we can generate, the better!
Here is what we are looking for: (PLEASE, no expired food!)

• Snacks (chips, crackers, granola bars, candy, popcorn)
• Drinks (soda, juice, energy drinks)
• Honey
• Trail mix or nuts
• Ramen 
• Pasta
• Soup and chili
• Cooking oils
• Canned fruits and vegetables

Annual Pan African Conference & Festival
A Board & Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Pan-African Conference Festival is a statewide cultural and humanities festival honoring the stories, artistry, scholarship, and lived experiences of the African diaspora in Minnesota. As the longest-running event of its kind in the Midwest, this festival has grown from a one-day academic gathering into a multi-layered celebration of identity, heritage, and intergenerational storytelling.
Wednesday, April 8th
Many shifts available between 8AM - 9PM
CSU 200 Ballroom 
Volunteer Sign-Up Link

Free Farmer's Market
Mavs in Action
Join us in setting up, handing out goods, and tearing down our annual Spring Farmers Market. 
Thursday, Apr 9
2 Shifts: 8-11AM and/or 12:30-3PM
Preska 126
Volunteer Sign-Up Link

Maverick Day of Service: Adopt a Highway
Mavs in Action
Please join us in cleaning up the road outside the entrance of Minneopa Falls State Park! This event runs from 9 AM to 10:30 AM, but we please ask that volunteers meet us in the flexible programming space located in the basement of the CSU (By Chic fil a) promptly at 8:45 AM so we can get you checked in and ready to go! Transportation, gloves, garbage bags, and trash grabbers will be provided! Snack and water will be available to you before and after the event  We hope to see you there!
Saturday, April 18th
9AM - 5 PM
Meet in the Flexible Programming Space (by Chick-Fil-A)
Volunteer Sign-Up Link
 

Mankato Area Volunteer Opportunities

Looking to get off campus and serve the Greater Mankato Area Community? Here is what we have found. Area partners have one-time and ongoing needs. Each week we will highlight at least 3 area agencies who depend on volunteers. 
Check it out!

Community Service
VINE Faith in Action
Serving older adults and people with disabilities, VINE has hundreds of volunteers who help older adults, people with disabilities, and families in difficult situations. Opportunities include Meals on Wheels (delivering routes twice a month), transportation for community members, pool monitoring at the VINE Adult Community Center, teaching wellness classes, and helping at the VINE Home Thrift Store with pricing, organizing, and cashiering
One-time and ongoing needs
Various times, dates, and locations - see sign up link for more details
Volunteer Sign-Up Link
Accessible via public transportation route 13

Affordable Homes Access
Habitat for Humanity 
Habitat for Humanity is a volunteer-dependent organization; without great volunteers like you, we cannot accomplish our mission of providing safe and affordable housing for hard-working families in South Central Minnesota 
One-time and ongoing volunteer opportunities 
See sign-up link for available dates and times 
1730 Bassett Drive, Mankato, MN 56001 
Volunteer Sign-Up Link 
Located in downtown Mankato. Accessable by public transportation via bus #7 

Emergency Housing 
Connections Emergency Shelter 
Interested in volunteering for local emergency housing care? From cooking and/or serving a meal, to filling in as a float volunteer to assist staff - we have opportunities for folks of all ages! 
One-time and ongoing volunteer opportunities 
See sign-up link for available dates and times 
800 S Front Street Mankato, MN 56001 
Volunteer Sign-Up Link 
Located in downtown Mankato. Accessable by public transportation via bus #7 

Student Basic Needs Resources

Sodexo Swipe Out Hunger
Maverick Food Pantry
Campus Cupboard at Crossroads
Echo Food Shelf

• accessible via bus route #7
• online ordering available

Live bus tracker
MNSU Emergency Grant Resources
Off Campus Housing Resources