Organizers are calling the annual Service Day a success after facilitating a variety of both on and off-campus volunteer activities on Thursday.

First implemented 10 years ago, Palo Alto High School Service Day allows students to showcase their commitment to volunteering and giving back to the community, according to Get Involved Project Manager and junior Candace Wang.

Over 300 students travelled to off-campus locations to volunteer, ranging from distributing food at the Second Harvest Food Bank to pulling weeds at the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve, according to Wang. In addition, over 500 students participated in on-campus activities on the Quad during lunch.

Get Involved Palo Alto coordinated the on-campus events while Paly Youth Community Service Club organized the off-campus events, contacted service sites and streamlined student participation, according to YCS Co-President junior Ibby Day.

Service Day featured 20 on-campus booths aimed at promoting volunteerism through small actions, including crafting bookmarks and picking up litter on campus to provide a range of opportunities for those who were unable to travel off campus. As part of the main on-campus service projects, students sewed and tie-dyed bags for The Little Red Shoes Program.

“Volunteerism is the type of thing that is missing in a lot of students’ lives,” Wang said. “People become really busy and forget about giving back, but that’s what Service Day is all about. It’s about reminding people of all the good that we do.”

Photos by Adrienne Kwok.