Concordia College alumna Sydni Kreps ’17 was presented with the MoorHeart Award for her many contributions to the Moorhead community on Monday, Feb. 9, by the Moorhead City Council and Mayor Shelly Carlson.
Kreps, who majored in multimedia journalism and communication studies with a minor in English writing, is the founder and curator of More Than Words bookshop.
When funding for food assistance programs was interrupted in November 2025, Kreps helped organize a fundraiser in her business, raising more than $3,000 for the Great Plains Food Bank by selling donated used books.
“This action demonstrates a local business using its platform to meet community needs in a tangible way,” Samantha Gust wrote in the nomination. “The fundraiser was impactful and focused on supporting residents who rely on consistent access to food.”
The MoorHeart Award recognizes individuals and organizations that go above and beyond to demonstrate community in Moorhead by their actions and service. It is commemorated with a piece of art commissioned from local artist Dennis Krull.
“Concordia helped me build a community-oriented mindset,” Kreps said in a 2023 feature about her entrepreneurship. “I had so many projects or experiences where we were out of the classroom and in the community. That helped me learn about the community I’d grown up in in a different way.”
More information on the MoorHeart Award, including how to nominate someone for it, is available at MoorheadMN.gov.
More
- Feature: More Than a Bookstore: Sydni Kreps opens her own bookshop in Moorhead
- Study Multimedia Journalism | Communication Studies | English Writing at Concordia
- More Than Words Bookshop + More
- The Great Plains Food Bank
- The MoorHeart Award