Fall 2014— On a crisp, fall morning, 86 Oregon State University community members completed five volunteer projects throughout Corvallis, performing nearly 300 hours of service. Their work contributed to a nationwide effort called Make a Difference Day, held annually on the fourth Saturday in October, in which millions participate.
“All of the projects were a great success,” said Emily Bowling, who helps lead the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE). CCE coordinated the university’s participation in the Oct. 25 event.
In collaboration with OSU’s Healthy Campus Initiative, volunteers helped clear the Oregon State campus of nearly 7,000 cigarette butts and about five bags of litter. Other volunteers donated their time at Trillium Family Services, Heartland Humane Society, Produce for the People and Stone Soup Kitchen.
Volunteers at Trillium Family Services removed, composted, and raked 4,000 square feet of tomato plants and 1,000 square feet of weeds, in addition to harvesting and removing 10 eggplant plants. They also trimmed, weeded, mulched, and winterized flowers and raspberry plants. Heartland Humane Society volunteers sorted and reorganized 40 boxes of t-shirts, as well as emptying, sweeping, and reorganizing the animal shelter’s storage space.
Graduate student Joy Lile is a regular volunteer at Produce for the People, a community garden that serves low-income residents and nonprofit organizations.
At Produce for the People, a community garden that serves low-income residents and nonprofit organizations, volunteer tasks included harvesting, pulling, and composting cucumbers, tomatoes and squash. Garden Manager Sue Domingues says the work of Oregon State volunteers makes a large impact in the Corvallis community. “The groups that come really help around here,” she said, pointing to the tended rows of vegetables.
The volunteer team at Stone Soup Kitchen, including fourth-year honors student Logan Stewart, prepared and served approximately 150 meals to members of the Corvallis community. Stewart — who serves as an external coordinator at CCE — says she was drawn to work with the center because of its emphasis on social justice in its programming. “Some organizations only think of the act of volunteering for that point in time whereas the CCE looks forward and backward around a project,” she said.
Students interested in volunteering within the Corvallis community may contact the Center of Civic Engagement at [email protected] or 541-737-3041.