By Erin Ratigan/tr news editor

Students and the general public painted, pulled weeds, picked up litter and worked with food donations March 22 as part of the TR Campus Day of Service.

Projects included working in the TR community garden, sorting food at the Tarrant Area Food Bank, sanding and painting at the YWCA and clearing out trash from the Trinity River.

2014 is the first year the program has featured the river clean-up project.

Campus librarian Danelle Toups has helped with the TR Day of Service since its first year of operation.

“Last summer, on Friday mornings, I started doing kayak clean-up on the river,” she said. “I thought it might be fun to add to the program here.”

Her irritation with littering got Toups interested in the project.

“I just like picking up trash. Trash bothers me,” she said, laughing. “And the city of Fort Worth has that new ‘reverse litter’ campaign that’s kicking off right now, so it’s all part of that, too.”

TR nursing student Memory Takmana volunteered to help at the food bank. She said that was her first choice because volunteering “gives her joy.”

“I just like helping people,” she said. “It feels great to know that you’ve made a difference.”

She also volunteered with Mission Arlington during the summer.

Like Takmana, it was fellow TR student Afia Rahman’s first time volunteering through the school. She has done outside volunteer work, though, including helping at a rehabilitation center and at the SE Campus library.

What Rahman likes most about volunteering, she said, is helping out while “getting to know others.” This time, however, what motivated her was the extra credit one of her instructors offered for participating.

Those tending to the community garden pulled weeds, filled plant boxes, spread mulch and planted herbs and vegetables.

Though outside services are occasionally hired to help care for the garden, it is intended to be run primarily by students. Participants were encouraged to water and tend to the plants when on campus.

Toups said community service is important because it helps students improve themselves as well as society.

“The sooner we get people used to the idea of being part of the community in any way, the better,” she said.

She said she hopes participants make volunteering a lifelong habit, saying once students understand their civic duty, it will forever be a part of their lives.