Azusa Pacific University is committed to building relationships within the community. Through academic service learning, local engagement programs and events, and global engagement trips, there is no shortage of opportunities for students to get involved with the surrounding community. While these opportunities are great for building relationships, students are also helping fulfill needs in the community through collaborative volunteer opportunities such as Green Care Day.
Green Care Day is an annual event put on by Food ED. Nearly 700 volunteers throughout eight locations in the San Gabriel Valley work with school districts and community partners to make the event run smoothly. Through their education programming at 14 garden and compost hubs, Food ED is able to serve more than 3,200 K-12 students. “The community efforts that happen on Green Care Day means we have cared for green spaces where students and community members can access freshly grown food, learn about climate change through hands-on workshops and events, and get involved on a hyper-local scale,” said Rochelle Kuan Hoffman, Community Engagement Director with Food ED.
Theater arts major Ayzha Saggers ’27 volunteered during Green Care Day at Bradoaks Elementary Science Academy in Monrovia. Volunteers prepared the school’s community garden for the upcoming growing season by weeding and planting new seeds. The community garden is used for food education at the school, but it is also a place where people can learn how to compost. The garden is a resource for community members to receive free fruits and vegetables.
Saggers said that the experience was relaxing because she was able to be outside and work with her hands. “The work was fulfilling and there were a lot of people there to help,” she said. “When we reach out and help within community spaces, people see that we care about them which has a positive impact.” She was able to serve not only the community but God by living out her faith helping others. However, she also said that while service is vital to faith, it is broadly applicable to anyone looking to give back to their community. “Service is a reminder that the world is bigger than your personal space,” she said. “It reorients our thinking to give back to and care for others.” Cultivating relationships with those in the community allows students to understand people from different backgrounds and learn to love their neighbors more deeply.
Local service is a great way for APU students to cultivate cooperative and collaborative relationships within the community, a key part of APU’s third principle of community engagement. “Participating in community service can be extremely rewarding on a personal level, and we can do so much good for our friends and neighbors when we work in community together,” said Kuan Hoffman. “When thinking about the environment, caring for spaces that teach and encourage informed and healthy eating habits, being stewards for nature, and promoting curiosity about our surroundings, the positive impacts of community service on projects like Green Care Day can last generations.”