Friday morning, students gathered in the Student Center ballroom to participate in the Community Plunge.
The Community Plunge is a volunteer concept popular on college campuses.
This LBC-approved event was organized by the VISION center, which is a community outreach program operating within the department of Diversity and Community Involvement. Director Reggie Barns, who introduced the speaker, said that this was the largest crowd in several years.
“We really appreciate that you are here to kick off this school year with giving back to the community," Becca Timmermans, a VISION coordinator, said. “We think that Ypsilanti is an awesome place. We are so thankful to be here, and, just, take really seriously our engagement with our community."
The ballroom was set up with over a dozen round tables. Participants were assigned to different tables and each table went to a different Washtenaw county-based charity organization, including Food Gatherers, Meals on Wheels, Growing Hope and the Ypsi Food Co-Op. Once assigned, students were transported in vans to the different organizations.
One group, for example, went to Food Gatherers, which was founded by the founders of Zingerman’s Delicatessen to achieve two goals: to both end hunger in Ann Arbor and eliminate food waste.
Volunteers who went to Food Gatherers sorted fresh and rotting vegetables. The food that was still good will go to feed the needy.
More programs will be available through VISION throughout the school year. Food Gatherers, Growing Hope and Meals on Wheels are all available for volunteer work for students who are interested.
