Guns to Gardens in the St. Croix Valley is taking Isaiah 2:4 to heart.

The group, an offshoot of the national Guns to Gardens movement, will be putting the Bible verse — “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks” — into action next month by turning unwanted guns into gardening tools.

Guns to Gardens in the St. Croix Valley will hold its first event from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in the parking lot of First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater in Oak Park Heights.

The group is working to reduce gun violence by reducing the number of guns in homes and communities, said Linda Orsted, co-leader of the event and a member of First Presbyterian.

Unwanted and unloaded guns will be dismantled at the drive-through event, and the leftover parts will be forged into garden tools and decorative objects, she said.

How to donate

Those participating in the event are asked to place working, unloaded guns in the trunk or the rear of the vehicle; no ammunition is accepted.

Skilled personnel will remove the firearms from the vehicles, make sure they are unloaded and transfer them to a “chop-saw station,” she said.

Trained volunteers will use power tools to make required cuts to the guns according to guidelines from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The gun owner, who remains anonymous, waits through this process and there is no transfer of firearm ownership. Once the gun is dismantled, it is no longer legally a gun. The owner can donate the leftover parts to be forged into garden tools, which will be donated to garden nonprofits, she said.

Grocery gift cards

Related Articles

Bicyclist struck, seriously injured in crash in Stillwater Township

New Richmond, Wis., man dies in crash in Oak Park Heights

Washington County crypto heist totaled $8M, draws federal charges

New map highlights Washington County home deeds with racial covenants

Stillwater vigil planned to honor Charlie Kirk

Guns to Gardens in the St. Croix Valley will distribute gift cards from local grocery stores — until supplies run out — as a thank you to donors, Orsted said. Gift cards will be given thusly: $200 for a semiautomatic, assault-style rifle; $150 for a revolver or semiautomatic handgun; and $100 for a manual shotgun, hunting rifle or pistol.

Anyone who wouldn’t want to see a good hunting rifle or shotgun go to waste should consider taking it to a gun or antique dealer instead, Orsted said, although the goal of the event is to remove guns from the marketplace and reduce the number of firearm accidents and deaths.

The participating organizations include First Presbyterian, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, St. Croix United Church, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, American Legion Post No. 491 and Moms Demand Action Woodbury/Stillwater along with concerned individuals from the community.

For more information or to contribute a tax-deductible gift for the project, contact gunstogardensstcroix@gmail.com.

Kids ‘n Kinship provides friendships and positive role models to children and youth ages 5-16 who are in need of an additional supportive relationship with an adult. Here’s one of the youth waiting for a mentor:

Looking for a mentor: Iris (Kids ‘n Kinship)

First name: Iris

Age: 11

Interests: Iris enjoys drawing and most arts and craft projects. She also learned to ride a bike recently so has tried to bike as much as she can! She also enjoys swimming, spending time with her friend, and trying new things.

Personality/Characteristics: Mom describes Iris as smart and sweet. She is quiet and shy at first but warms up quickly. She describes herself as silly, kind and caring. Iris is a bright young girl with a sensitive temperament and big heart.

Goals/dreams: When she grows up he wants to be a therapist for kids!  If she had a genie, her three wishes would be to: 1) Move to Florida (so she is close to Disney)  2) Go to Hawaii  3)  Take a cruise (she thinks they sound fun, and loves being on the water). Mom is looking for a healthy, strong female dynamic for Iris.  An individual or couple match would be best for Iris.

For more information: Iris is waiting for a mentor through Kids n’ Kinship in Dakota County. To learn more about this youth mentoring program and the 39+ youth waiting for a mentor, sign up for an Information Session, visit www.kidsnkinship.org or email programs@kidsnkinship.org. For more information about mentoring in the Twin Cities outside of Dakota County, contact MENTOR MN at mentor@mentormn.org or fill out a brief form at www.mentoring.org/take-action/become-a-mentor/#search.

Related Articles

Inver Grove Heights man gets 20 years for ‘coercing and manipulating’ girls to send nude photos

Judge finds Current DJ’s stalker violated restraining order but not guilty due to mental illness

Burnsville: Construction worker fatally struck on I-35W

Gym chain to celebrate first Rosemount location

Dakota County proposes 9.9% levy increase for 2026 budget

Today is Sunday, Sept. 28, the 271st day of 2025. There are 94 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 28, 2020, the worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic reached 1 million, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University.

Also on this date:

In 1781, American forces in the Revolutionary War, backed by a French fleet, began their successful siege of Yorktown, Virginia.

Related Articles

Trump says he will send troops to Portland, Oregon, in latest deployment to US cities

Ticks are migrating, raising disease risks if they can’t be tracked quickly enough

Today in History: September 27, Taliban take power in Afghanistan

Trump’s trade battle with China puts US soybean farmers in peril

Judge rules ‘MyPillow Guy’ Mike Lindell defamed Smartmatic with false claims on voting machines

In 1924, three U.S. Army planes landed in Seattle, completing the first round-the-world trip by air in 175 days.

In 1928, Scottish medical researcher Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first broadly effective antibiotic.

In 1941, Ted Williams became the most recent American League baseball player to hit over .400 for a season, batting .406 for the Boston Red Sox.

In 1962, a federal appeals court found Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett in civil contempt for blocking the admission of James Meredith, a Black student, to the University of Mississippi.

In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat signed an accord at the White House calling for an end to Israel’s military occupation of West Bank cities and expanding the responsibilities of the Palestinian Authority.

In 2016, Hurricane Matthew forms near the Windward Islands and goes on to kill over 1,000 people in Haiti, elsewhere in the Caribbean and the southeastern U.S.

In 2000, capping a 12-year battle, the U.S. government approved use of the abortion pill RU-486.

In 2022, Category 4 Hurricane Ian barreled ashore in southwestern Florida and then bisected the center of the state, causing more than 100 fatalities and billions of dollars in damage.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor Brigitte Bardot is 91.
Filmmaker John Sayles is 75.
Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent is 71.
Zydeco musician C.J. Chenier (sheh-NEER’) is 68.
Hockey Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr is 63.
Actor-comedian Janeane Garofalo (juh-NEEN’ guh-RAH’-fuh-loh) is 61.
Actor Maria Canals-Barrera is 59.
Actor Mira Sorvino is 58.
Actor Naomi Watts is 57.
Olympic gold medal swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg is 50.
Rapper Jeezy is 48.
Golf Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak is 48.
Pop-rock musician St. Vincent is 43.
Actor Hilary Duff is 38.
Boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford is 38.
Tennis player Marin Čilić is 37.
Actor Keir Gilchrist is 33.

Minnesota United needed a long-range blast to gain one point in a 1-1 draw with Colorado Rapids on Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.

Nector Triantis scored from distance, roughly 35 yards, to make it 1-1 in the 65th minute. It was an incredible goal, but not as stunning as his rainbow from behind the halfway line two weeks ago against San Diego.

“He strikes the ball really, really well,” had coach Eric Ramsay said. “What you’ve seen (Saturday night) is a very complete performance, I would say, in the middle. … He is very physical, very athletic, really helps us in that sense, which, of course, is something that we have been reliant on up until this point.”

MNUFC (15-7-9, 54 points) got a stroke of positivity after two straight defeats in all competitions and increased their unbeaten streak on the road to nine matches (6-0-3) and stave off consecutive losses in league games this season. Colorado (11-14-6, 39 points) dropped points at home as they fight for one of the final MLS Cup Playoff spots.

The Loons conceded a goal on just about the final touch of the first half. After Rafael Navarro won a foul from Michael Boxall, Rapids defender Rafael Santos scored on a line-drive free kick from roughly 23 yards out.

“With how we fell behind just before halftime, it’s a literal mountain to climb in that sense, particularly here,” Ramsay said about playing at altitude in Colorado. “The fact that we were able to make some adaptations at halftime and really respond well to those.”

In the first half, Minnesota’s offense was almost nonexistent with two shots, neither on target. Seeking a spark, Ramsay brought in Dominik Fitz and Joseph Rosales for Anthony Markanich and Julian Gressel and made the rare switch to a back-four defensive shape.

The Loons started to get forward with more regularity, and Fitz provided the first shot on target in the 57th minute.

Hassani Dotson, who hasn’t played since March due to a hamstring injury, subbed into the match in the 84th minute.