About every six weeks or so the Friends School of Minnesota building fills with the fabulous aroma of coffee beans; it’s a coffee-bagging day for the 7th and 8th graders.
This summer, FSMN alumni came to help 7th & 8th graders weigh and package coffee.
The school orders bulk coffee from local coffee roaster/distributor Peace Coffee. Their coffee is organically and shade-grown, and is purchased under fair trade conditions. And it’s delicious!
Our youth work together to weigh and package six kinds of whole bean and ground coffee.
Service learning is an important part of Quaker education.
We sell from front from a case in the front entry. We don’t ask students to sell coffee directly. Folks just stop by when they need more coffee. Lucky for us, we have lots of coffee drinkers around here!
Students apply math and science skills as they weigh and bag coffee for sale.
Why do we do this? The coffee bagging work is a way students can be involved in fundraising for great school activities, like a week at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center or a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area with YMCA Camp Menogyn. FSMN’s commitment to accessibility means we don’t ask families to pay extra for these opportunities. And a fundraiser we believe in reinforces the values we teach.
Besides, it’s fun!
FSMN students and alumni gather to bag coffee for our school fundraiser