On Sept. 12, 2025, hundreds of veterans, students, corporate leaders, and volunteers came together at the National Sports Center for Uniting in Service Minneapolis, a day of action honoring the 24th anniversary of 9/11. 

Hosted by ZeroMils, a Veteran-owned social impact organization, the event reimagined remembrance as unity and service. The day featured a tribute run led by wear blue: run to remember, a Spartan DEKA STRONG fitness challenge, and a packing project with Blessings in a Backpack that produced 5,000 bags of kid-friendly food for children in Wisconsin.

Tri Hi Transportation donated a truck and driver to deliver bags across state lines, ensuring food-insecure kids under the Blessings’ service umbrella received hunger-free weekends. Blessings CEO Erin Kerr, CDO Lisa Hanneman, and Corporate Parnterships Manager Alexis Hartman joined volunteers to help pack food alongside community members. 

Corporate partners including Wells Fargo, Neighborly, U.S. Bank, F&G, and HandsOn Twin Cities added their support. “Veterans bring unmatched leadership, resilience, and a commitment to mission—qualities every community needs more of,” said Sean Passmore, head of Military & Veteran Initiatives at Wells Fargo. 

For Blessings in a Backpack, the result was simple but powerful: 5,000 hunger-free weekends for kids who might otherwise go without. The spirit of Sept. 12, 2001, when Americans united across every divide, was alive in Minneapolis.