FARMINGTON — A van crammed full of donated food and personal hygiene items was the goal for National Student Day held Thursday at the University of Maine at Farmington.
The local campus store, Bookstore Services and UMF Center for Student Involvement sponsored the event but it was a student-driven day, said Kirsten Swan, director of the Center for Student Involvement. Donated items will go to area food banks.
The college store offered a 25-percent-off coupon for food donations to help fill the university van parked on Mantor Green from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday.
“National Student Day celebrates and promotes social responsibility among students across North America,” according to coupons given for donations.
Swan and Mary Ellen Martin, director of Bookstore Services, helped choose an event where students could easily come and go.
Faculty, staff and community members were invited to donate items that will be given to local food pantries “to help make a difference in the local community and to honor the day’s motto of ‘study-serve-celebrate,'” according to a release.
About 80 campus students participated in September’s month of service where the students performed a variety of community service projects, Swan said.
Students were encouraged to post Student Day stories and photos at nationalstudentday.com, she said.
Swan will continue to collect items Friday at the Student Life Office on campus.
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