To celebrate Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Week, county extension offices are hosting community service activities April 16 - 21. In addition to contributing to communities across Iowa, they will submit service hours through
Cy's Days of Service
.
County extension offices are conducting food drives, serving at local meal sites, and delivering meals to those in need to fight hunger and food insecurity. To kick start the week of service, extension members packaged 20,000 meals for Meals from the Heartland during their annual conference on March 26 in Ames. County offices are also planting trees, cleaning local parks, and working with youth on 4-H gardens.
"Our
100 county offices
--
Pottawattamie County has two -- enable us to serve as a 99-county campus, connecting the needs of Iowans with Iowa State University research and resources all across the state," said ISU Vice President for Extension and Outreach John Lawrence. "Community service is one more way ISU Extension and Outreach engages Iowans to build a strong Iowa."
Lawrence encourages
Cyclones everywhere to get involved in community
service projects and report them through Cy's Days of Service.
This is one way to demonstrate how Iowa Staters change the world by coming together to serve their communities.
Participants are encouraged to dress in ISU apparel and take photos of their efforts to showcase Cyclone pride. The goal is to have 500 participants complete 30,000 hours of service by the end of April.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Donate blood
- Volunteer at a hospital or retirement community
- Assist at an elementary, middle, or high school
- Hold a fundraiser for a charity (car wash, pancake breakfast)
- Volunteer at a police station or fire department
- Pick up litter in a park or along a highway
- Help at an animal shelter
- Volunteer at a non-profit organization
ISU Extension and Outreach is part of the federal Cooperative Extension Service serving communities and counties across the nation. Every Iowa county has an elected extension council that decides how to support ISU Extension and Outreach educational programs at the county level.
Each year ISU Extension and Outreach directly benefits more than one million people and is responsible for more than five million educational interactions. Covering the entire lifespan from the youngest to oldest Iowans, Extension and Outreach is focused on feeding people, keeping them healthy, empowering communities, and turning the world over to the next generation better than it was found. That's how we build a strong Iowa.
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ISU Extension & Outreach
members packaged 20
,000 meals for Meals from the Heartland during their annual conference on March 26 in Ames.
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