Minot State University’s Janna McKechnie and students Janie Wunderlich and Hannah Pederson spent Friday evening passing out candy canes in downtown Minot to promote the KMSU Auction.

The Minot State University Professional Communication Department is hosting the 24th annual KMSU Auction on Dec. 1 at 6:30 p.m.

There are various ways to watch the annual auction, one of which is a televised broadcast hosted by MSU students on the campus television station, KMSU Channel 19. The auction is also streamed live on YouTube Live.

For more than 24 years the KMSU Auction has brought in more than $95,000. Part of it is donated to a local charity. This year some of the proceeds will go to Project Bee.

“We are very appreciative to have been selected by the KMSU students as the recipient of funds from this year’s auction. It’s exciting to spread awareness of homelessness in our community, and educate people on what they can do to help us provide essential services to those in need,” said Alyson Heisler, Project Bee development associate.

Project Bee has many community involvement programs and hopes to begin construction in the spring of Broadway Circle, a family shelter for those experiencing homelessness, Heisler said. She said there are many ways to volunteer, and currently, meal provisions for the Winter Warming Center are a need. This involves preparing a meal and bringing it to the facility at 400 E Central. Some examples of past meals are chili and sides or hotdishes. There are no specifications except to feed 30 people.

Eric Locken, Project Bee program associate, said there are other programs for volunteers, for example, the Dakota Diaper Pantry which services the greater portion of western North Dakota and receives thousands of diapers that need to be repackaged. People can volunteer by calling Project Bee at 838-1812.

Other ways to volunteer can be found through the app, “Golden,” which once downloaded opens up a wide variety of volunteer opportunities with Project Bee and other groups around the community. Heisler said projectbeend.org also has volunteer availability and schedules by scrolling to the bottom and clicking on the tab, then sign up for the Mealtrain.

The KMSU auction gives students a wide variety of activities in the auction class taught by Janna McKechnie, director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. Throughout the fall semester students plan and prepare for the auction by requesting donations from local businesses, planning and designing marketing materials, updating and monitoring the Facebook page KMSU Auction, reaching out to local media and filming, staffing and packaging all items for the live televised KMSU Auction production.

“Viewers call in and place bids on-air during the allotted time period. The highest bid wins the package and gets the opportunity to put some packages under the tree. It also provides a unique marketing opportunity for local businesses that donate,” said McKechnie.