READING, Pa. — Thirty-two students, 10 faculty and staff members, and 25 community volunteers joined forces as part of the Penn State Berks Day of Service on Sunday, Aug. 26. The event was held as part of the college’s year-long 60th anniversary celebration.
Participants chose from a variety of service projects. In the morning, the group divided into two groups, with one working on litter clean-up of the Route 222 on- and off-ramp, while the other worked on care packages. A total of 37 hygiene kits and 75 sandwiches were assembled for the clients of Opportunity House and Safe Berks.
In the afternoon, participants helped in cleanup efforts at Country Meadows Retirement Community’s Wyomissing facility, where they washed walkers and wheelchairs and visited with the residents. Meanwhile another group assembled back-to-school kits for children served by Berks County Intermediate Unit and Opportunity House and hospital care packages for children at Hershey Medical Center. Others created braided dog toys from upcycled college t-shirts to donate to the Animal Rescue League.
Later in the day, members of the campus community were joined by community volunteers for cleanup efforts at the Schuylkill River Trail.
The Penn State Berks Day of Service was coordinated by Kathy Cavanaugh, administrative support assistant in Continuing Education, and Autumn Fritz, assistant director of Community Development.