Williams students took the opportunity to learn about—and give back to—the Berkshires community during a service day organized by student-run Lehman Community Engagement.

Among the many activities throughout the Oct. 2 Great Day of Service, students planted spring bulbs at Louison House, a transitional living shelter in Adams and North Adams. Some signed up to create cheerful cards and write encouraging notes for patients at Berkshire Medical Center and inmates at the Berkshire House of Corrections. The WRAPS team (Williams Recovery of All Perishable Surplus), a student group that distributes free meals to local organizations, cleaned out meal transportation bins on campus to prepare for more deliveries. A picnic with BFAIR—an agency serving adults with disabilities—gave students a chance to meet and play games with members with special needs at the Spruces in Williamstown. Other students scrubbed baseboards and washed windows at the Harper Center, Williamstown’s senior center and home of the Council on Aging. 

The beautiful fall weather was ideal for cleanup projects in Williams’ 2,600-acre Hopkins Forest and at Caretaker Farm, a 35-acre sustainable farm in south Williamstown that supplies many area residents with fresh food. Students also helped organize storage at Bonnie Lea Farm, a boarding and riding stable in Williamstown, while horses, goats and dogs looked on. And students volunteering at the Berkshire Humane Society in Pittsfield took on the serious work of playing with kittens after mopping floors, cleaning windows and wiping down surfaces. 

Lehman Community Engagement, part of Williams’ Center for Learning in Action, partners with organizations throughout the year to assess needs, plan activities for students and coordinate transportation. The group is planning another Great Day of Service in the spring.

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