Michigan Alumni Community Service Month

Sorting and packing food donations, cleaning up beaches and rivers, weeding and gardening — these are just a few of the ways University of Michigan alumni clubs and affiliates gave back during Community Service Month.

Each year, to celebrate commencement, alumni clubs and affiliates organize local service projects to support those in need. This year, 40 clubs and affiliates participated in 63 different events between April and mid-June, with 330 volunteers contributing 800 hours of service to communities across the country.

Through a partnership with Kroger’s Zero Hunger, Zero Waste initiative, the Alumni Association encouraged clubs to focus on food insecurity in their communities. Their efforts led to 4,435 pounds of food collected, 1,702 boxes packed, 25,015 pounds and 20 pallets of food sorted, and 2,158 meals prepared.

“It is always impactful to volunteer at Food Gatherers since they help so many people across Washtenaw County,” says Andrea Hyslop, a member of the U-M Club of Greater Ann Arbor. “Being able to support our local community and see the tangible results of our work in the boxes of food we saved meant a lot to the alumni who attended the event.”

While food banks were a focus, many clubs expanded their efforts to meet a wider range of needs. The U-M Club of Houston partnered with the Jewish Community Center of Houston to deliver approximately 1,250 hurricane preparedness kits to homebound senior citizens. Each kit was packed with shelf-stable food and supplies in the event of a major weather-related event. In North Carolina, the U-M Club of Triangle Area prepared and packaged food for 70 families staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Durham.

The impact didn’t end there — several clubs contributed to environmental efforts by cleaning up trash from public parks and nearby waterways, collecting the equivalent of 364 trash bags of litter. Additional green initiatives included weeding and planting flowers at local farms, a butterfly garden, and an equine therapy organization.

“Each act of service — whether sorting food, planting gardens, or delivering care to vulnerable neighbors — reflects the deep compassion and leadership that define our alumni,” says Judah Doty, the Alumni Association’s Associate Director of Affiliate Programs. “We are immensely grateful for the volunteers who showed up, leaned in, and reminded us all what it means to be the Leaders and Best.”