TruBLEND Learning and ServeNYS Awarded $75,000 Grant to Launch ServeWeave for 9/11 Day

Transforming Remembrance into Action Through Food Preservation, Community Service, and Workforce Learning

We are excited to announce that TruBLEND Learning, in partnership with ServeNYS, has been awarded a $75,000 Youth Engagement Grant from 9/11 Day to create and deliver ServeWeave for 9/11 Day, an innovative community-wide Day of Service commemorating the 25th Anniversary of September 11.

This isn't just another volunteer event.

ServeWeave is designed to help people learn practical skills while making a real difference in their communities. Participants won't simply pack food—they will learn how to preserve it, understand why food resilience matters, and leave knowing they helped feed families, honor veterans and first responders, and strengthen their community.

A Different Kind of Day of Service

On September 11, students, families, educators, veterans, first responders, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and volunteers will come together for a unique hands-on experience that combines learning with service.

Our guests will:

1. Learn the basics of dry food preservation using rice and beans
   
2. Assemble shelf-stable meal kits for local food pantries
   
3. Prepare appreciation care packages for veterans and first responders
   
4. Write handwritten messages of gratitude and encouragement
   
5. Learn about food insecurity, civic responsibility, and the legacy of 9/11
   
6. Discover how simple skills can strengthen community resilience
   
7. Every participant will contribute something meaningful that will directly benefit someone else.

Why Food Preservation?

Food preservation is one of humanity's oldest survival skills, yet many people have never learned how to safely store food for emergencies or reduce waste at home.

ServeWeave introduces food preservation in an engaging, hands-on way that teaches participants:

• Food security
  
• Sustainability
  
• Emergency preparedness
  
• Nutrition
  
• Teamwork
  
• Logistics
  
• Community responsibility

It is workforce learning disguised as community service.

We Need the Community's Help

Building an event for more than 1,500 participants takes an entire community. We are currently looking for partners who want to help make this vision a reality.

We're Looking For:

A Host Venue

• • • University campus
      
    • School
      
    • Community college
      
    • Convention or civic center
      
    • Large indoor facility with classrooms and gathering space

Sponsors

Financial sponsors can help provide food supplies, packaging materials, volunteer support, transportation, equipment, and educational resources.

Food Industry Partners

We're seeking chefs, food preservation specialists, food safety professionals, farmers, wholesalers, distributors, and organizations passionate about strengthening local food systems.

Community Organizations

Youth organizations, schools, colleges, civic groups, veterans organizations, first responder agencies, faith communities, and nonprofits are invited to participate as volunteer teams or collaborative partners.

Volunteers

Whether you can give two hours or the entire day, there is a place for you.

More Than One Day

Although ServeWeave begins with a 9/11 Day of Service, our vision extends far beyond September 11.

The educational framework being developed through this initiative will become a reusable workforce and community learning model that can be adapted for schools, community organizations, emergency preparedness programs, food security initiatives, family engagement events, and workforce development programs across New York and beyond.

We believe the strongest communities are built when people learn together, serve together, and grow together.

Join Us

Whether you can provide a location, sponsor a service station, volunteer your expertise, donate supplies, or simply spend a few hours serving alongside your neighbors, we invite you to become part of ServeWeave for 9/11 Day.

Together, we can honor the past by preparing communities for the future. Interested in partnering, sponsoring, volunteering, or hosting the event?

We would love to hear from you.

Let's weave service into the fabric of our communities — one act of kindness, one preserved meal, and one volunteer at a time.