Mac Serve is an annual event that sees hundreds of students spend a day volunteering in the community. Organized by the Student Success Centre, Mac Serve fosters the connection between students and the city while helping local agencies complete important projects. This year's event was held October 2.

By the numbers

Total number of student volunteers: 200

Agencies volunteered with: 14

Including:

Eva Rothwell Resource Centre

Living Rock

Bay Area Restoration Council

March of Dimes

Hamilton Food Share

Habitat for Humanity

Wesley Urban Ministries

Green Venture

Communities worked in: 2 (Hamilton and Mississauga)

In an attempt to engage commuter students, Mac Serve this year included a placement option in Mississauga, Ont. Students worked with the Newcomer Centre of Peel and helped to set up for a family carnival.

Team Leader Divya Motkur says: “Every year, Mac Serve is an eye-opening experience for me! This year I was placed with Newcomer Centre of Peel, with the unique purpose of helping immigrants settle in Canada. I had a lot of fun playing with kids and interacting with people from different backgrounds. Not only was I able to help them, but I was also able to learn a lot from them. I feel that this ability to connect with people from all backgrounds is an important quality for anyone in the McMaster community.”

Entire residence floors participating: 1 (Hedden Hall)

Hedden Community Advisor (CA) Nikita Malhotra says: “We participated as a floor, and it was a great experience. Mac Serve gives students an opportunity to connect with their community, which many of us don't really know much about. It also helps us understand the importance of learning through service, and what it means to be a citizen of a community. As a CA, one of my goals is to get students thinking so they can better understand how they want to a make a difference. Mac Serve provided them with the perfect opportunity to be able to do that and it was also a great way to bond with everyone.”