Battling swarms of bees driven wild by the alluring scent of bulk-packaged peanut butter and grape jelly, students took a break from studying for midterms Friday to make sandwiches for the homeless.
The event — held in Firestone plaza — was marked by white tablecloths with orange and black shield patterns draped over folding tables and a sign that read "Any Given Friday," a reference to the random, ad hoc nature of the project.
The one-time service project was organized independently by Steve Berneman '02 and Grant Atkins '02, who are not affiliated with the Student Volunteer Council.
Rockefeller College and the Department of Dining Services jointly funded the project.
Eric Sherman '02 and Rusty Klophaus '02 also got involved by lending their guitar skills to entertain the volunteers as they worked, playing twin-guitar renditions of songs by the Dave Matthews Band.
The project drew about 125 participants during the course of the afternoon, including a number of students seeking a break from studying in the library. "Anything to get away from my thesis," remarked one eager participant.
The project represents an innovative approach to student volunteer work. Berneman and Atkins noted that there are many students on campus who are interested in community service, but cannot find time for it. The two thought of the idea for this project during the summer and implemented it to provide busy students with a way to get involved.
"If you bring service to people, then they're willing to help," Atkins said. His theory turned out to be correct — the project produced 1,400 sandwiches, all of which were donated to the Trenton Rescue Mission.
Atkins also said he thought the project was especially attractive to students because they "have nothing to do on Friday anyway."
Berneman noted that the project required minimal effort. "The resources are out there," he said. "It really wasn't that much work."
Because of the project's success, Berneman and Atkins said they plan to organize more one-time service opportunities about once per month.
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