Students roll up their sleeves for Day of Caring

More than 150 Eastern Connecticut State University students and local volunteers beautified Windham on Oct. 3 for the Day of Caring, a town-wide clean-up event. Volunteers from Eastern's Center for Community Engagement (CCE), UConn, and United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut picked up trash, tended community gardens, and performed maintenance projects at more than a dozen locations across town.

Nonprofits organizatios and community spaces that benefited from the effort include GROW Windham Community Garden, the gardens on High Street, Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum, Covenant Soup Kitchen, Whitewater Park, Mansfield Public Library, Hop River Trail, Abundant Life Community Church, The Windham Textile and History Museum, Garden on the Bridge, Riverside Drive, and the Windham Historical Society.

According to Shirleey Mazariegos, a CCE student leader for the Day of Caring, volunteers collected more than 200 pounds of produce. “All of [the produce] was donated to local food co-ops,” said Mazariegos. “Community members can take it for no cost.”

With volunteers from diverse backgrounds coming together for a common goal, the Day of Caring was an opportunity for students to form new bonds with peers and members of the local community.

“The Day of Caring doesn’t just involve giving back,” said student volunteer Madison Rocha. “It’s a great opportunity to explore new parts of the community, meet and bond with fellow Eastern students, and learn about the local history and stories that make Willimantic so unique and special.”