Written by Lauren Woodruff ’27 (Journalism major), Teresa Costa ’26 (Journalism major), and Ava Gates ’27 (English Professional Writing and Journalism major)

Elizabethtown College is set to host its annual spring Day of Service event on Friday, March 22 from 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. in Thompson Gym. This campus-wide event will feature hundreds of Blue Jay students, employees, and alumni joining together to support the surrounding community by packing meals that will be sent to families experiencing food insecurity.

Etown’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) is organizing the event and partnering with Unto, a local humanitarian organization. This year’s goal is to match or exceed the packaging of 47,000 meals, which will provide families with a month’s supply of food.

“I always look forward to this time of year, when our entire Elizabethtown College community comes together to live out our institution’s Educate for Service motto and give back to the community,” Director of the CCCE Javita Thompson said.

Service is an essential component of the Etown experience as the College’s Educate for Service motto guides campus community members through intentional action to make positive impacts on the lives of others. Each year this commitment to service can be found through academic research, service trips around the world, and local, community-based projects.

Participants can sign up for a time slot on SignUp Genius. The event will run from 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. with sessions consisting of seventy-five-minute intervals so participants can take part in the event between classes. 

The CCCE is partnering with the additional offices on campus such as the Center for Global Understanding and Peacebuilding, School of Public Service, Student Assembly, and the Social Work Department to make this year’s Day of Service a success.