FEPS donation to Eagle Nation Station supports student needs

The Foundation for Eden Prairie Schools (FEPS) recently made a donation of $8,500 to Eagle Nation Station, Eden Prairie High School’s donation-based free store where students can access food, school supplies, clothing, toiletries and more. Raised as part of the Eagle Excellence Showcase back in October, the donation will have a significant and immediate impact on the high school’s ability to serve students who could use a helping hand. “[It was] such a good fit for what we were trying to do,” said Dr. Lisa Sisinni, Executive Director of FEPS. While FEPS regularly sponsors teacher grants, which ultimately has a positive impact on students, donating to Eagle Nation Station was a direct way for FEPS to support Eagles: “This was something very student-focused.”

Deciding to donate to Eagle Nation Station was a “pretty organic” process, according to FEPS Chair Liz Dayton. As she searched for a  specific need that FEPS could channel its donation towards, Dayton learned about Eagle Nation Station in conversations with Associate Principal Mariah Pringnitz. Soon after, Dayton visited the store and saw how many families visited in just a short amount of time. “That was very eye opening,” she said. “There are needs [in the community] and they are very concrete.”

Eagle Nation Station opened several years ago and can be accessed by students who visit their Student Centers asking to “shop.” School staff, like social worker Olivia Murphy (who helps to run Eagle Nation Station), have a “no questions asked” policy and open the store for students to visit independently in order to protect their privacy. Right now, Murphy said, there is a “pretty good buzz” about Eagle Nation Station within EPHS. Receiving resources already at school, Murphy said, really benefits students because they don’t need to be referred somewhere else.

The donation from FEPS will be used to help support specific student needs which may not always be stocked in Eagle Nation Station. For example, if a student comes in looking for a particular-sized winter coat, staff will now be able to say “I can help with that,” said Murphy. The sizable FEPS donation will equip Eagle Nation Station to fulfill these individual needs for quite some time, says the store’s staff, who have immense gratitude for the gift.

FEPS, too, is grateful for the opportunity to support students. “It’s great for them to know there’s a safety net,” Sissini said. “The money [can] make such a big difference in the lives of students.”