BEMIDJI — The city of Bemidji declared March as Minnesota Food Share Month in partnership with the

Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign

during a

city council

meeting on Monday. This campaign is the largest grassroots food and fund drive in Minnesota.

“Food insecurity affects thousands of Minnesotans, including residents of Bemidji and the greater Beltrami County area, and access to nutritious food is fundamental to the health and dignity, and well-being of every community member,” the proclamation reads. “Local food shelves depend on the generosity of community donations to meet the growing needs of our neighbors, and every contribution — whether food, funds or time — makes a direct difference in the lives of Bemidji residents.

“The city of Bemidji proudly recognizes the extraordinary contributions of the volunteers, donors and partner organizations whose compassion and dedication ensure that no neighbor goes without, and the city of Bemidji is committed to fostering a compassionate and caring community where all residents are supported and encouraged to look out for one another in times of need.”

Ward 2 Councilor Josh Peterson read the proclamation as Mayor Jorge Prince attended the meeting virtually. Peterson attempted to award the proclamation to a Bemidji Community Food Shelf representative, but no one was available to receive it.

John Eggers,

a former educator, gave a presentation to the council regarding his Project Graduate initiative, which promotes 100% graduation rates within Beltrami County during Monday’s meeting.

“It’s not an easy task to do, but we can do it,” Eggers remarked.

Eggers shared personal efforts to promote a 100% graduation rate within Beltrami County, such as promoting graduation as a teacher at Red Lake High School recently. He hopes to do more work in Red Lake in the future.

Eggers also formed an alliance of local Bemidji businesses to promote Project Graduate. Each business will find a unique way to promote higher graduation rates while working with the alliance. Additionally, Eggers has spent the last several years forming an advocacy program that has now spread to 12 states and five countries worldwide.

He then shared ideas for the council to follow to promote the initiative. This included joining the alliance, displaying posters, “relentlessly” promoting high graduation rates, starting a PSA campaign, adding the initiative to the city’s website or newsletter and signing a proclamation.

He noted that in 2025, the city signed a proclamation and other Beltrami County cities followed suit, meaning Bemidji could once again set the trend to promote higher graduation rates.

Ward 1 Councilor Gwenia Fiskevold Gould asked how the initiative addresses underlying issues that affect

declining graduation rates

within Beltrami County, such as housing instability and food insecurity.

Eggers did not have a direct answer, but noted that graduation often helps young people climb out of bad situations. He believes that all people deal with adversity and that graduation is an important tool to help improve their quality of life.

He also pointed out that graduation rates among white students have remained steady when compared to statewide trends, but that students of color and Indigenous students’ graduation rates are lower than the state average, something that needs to be addressed to help these communities.

Finally, Eggers noted that the initiative’s drop-out prevention hotline was recently discontinued, but that students or parents can reach out to Eggers directly to receive the help needed to stay in school.

Overall, council members thanked Eggers for his Project Graduate presentation. His contact information can be found on his website,

johnrogereggers.com.

The council will next meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 16, at City Hall for a regular meeting. Meetings can be viewed on

the city’s website.