Pizza for a Purpose: Community Rallies to Support the Next Generation of Public Servants

COON RAPIDS, Minn.

On a winter Monday evening when daylight fades early and the rhythms of community life turn inward, a familiar ritual will take on added meaning. On Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, from 5 to 8 p.m., residents are invited to the Andover location of Pizza Ranch, where dinner will double as a civic act of support for the Coon Rapids Police Explorers, a youth program quietly shaping the future of public service in the north metro.

Hosted by the Coon Rapids Police Department, the Community Impact fundraising night directs 10 percent of all guest checks, including dine-in and carry-out orders, to the Explorer program. Throughout the evening, uniformed Explorers will bus tables, greet diners, and answer questions, offering a visible reminder that behind the badges of tomorrow are young people learning responsibility, restraint, and service today.

A local investment with long reach

The Coon Rapids Police Explorers, officially designated Post #3763, serve youth ages 14 to 20 through a structured, career-oriented program affiliated with Learning for Life, the education arm of the Boy Scouts of America. Participation comes with clear expectations: members must maintain at least a “C” average in school, pass a criminal background check, attend weekly training sessions, and volunteer at community events.

Those requirements are deliberate. Program leaders describe the Explorers not simply as a recruitment pipeline, but as a leadership laboratory where discipline, ethical judgment, and teamwork are developed long before a career decision is made.

Funding the road to Rochester

Proceeds from the Pizza Ranch fundraiser help underwrite one of the program’s most consequential experiences: the Minnesota Law Enforcement Explorer Association State Conference, held each April in Rochester. The conference brings together more than 50 Explorer posts from across Minnesota, along with visiting teams from neighboring states, including North Dakota, South Dakota, and New York.

For participants, the conference is both competition and classroom. Explorers are evaluated by professional officers in realistic, high-pressure scenarios that mirror the demands of modern policing. These include traffic stops and accident investigations, burglary-in-progress responses, crime scene searches, domestic crisis intervention, hostage negotiations, and first aid.

Funds raised locally help cover registration fees, travel costs, uniforms, and specialized training equipment, ensuring that participation remains accessible regardless of a family’s financial circumstances.

Coon Rapids’ Post #3763 has built a reputation for excellence within this arena, frequently finishing among the top contenders in categories such as Burglary in Progress and Traffic Stops. But mentors emphasize that rankings matter less than growth. The real measure of success, they say, is how participants learn to think clearly, communicate calmly, and act ethically under pressure.

Beyond the badge

While many Explorers ultimately pursue careers in law enforcement, the program’s broader mission extends further. Alumni have gone on to military service, emergency medical roles, and leadership positions in civilian professions. The skills cultivated through scenario-based training, from decision-making to conflict resolution, are designed to translate into any path that demands accountability and service to others.

For the community, the Pizza Ranch night offers a simple equation: a shared meal becomes an investment in youth, trust, and preparedness. No tickets are required, no speeches planned. Just dinner, conversation, and a tangible way to support young people learning what it means to serve.

In a season often defined by cold and constraint, the event stands as a reminder that civic life is sustained not only by institutions, but by ordinary choices made together, one table, one conversation, and one slice at a time.

MinneapoliMedia