New Stony Brook Students Begin Their Journey By Giving Back

More than 300 incoming first-year and transfer students spent their first Saturday at Stony Brook University volunteering to serve others and the Stony Brook and local communities.

They took part in the university’s fifth annual Community Service Day, a campus tradition that introduces new Seawolves to their classmates while making an impact on the community.

Organized by the Career Center and the Center for Service Learning and Community Service, the August 23 event — a highlight of the weeklong New Seawolf Welcome program — featured 14 different volunteer projects, ranging from supporting children in local hospitals to providing food for the homeless and working with veterans.

“By choosing to give back today, you are not only carving out your niche within this large, diverse academic community, you are also showcasing the tremendous positive impact of Stony Brook on our community and beyond,” said Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith, who greeted the volunteers. “Today offers both a fantastic opportunity to get to know your fellow students and to begin building ties with the community that you will call home over these next few years.”

Goldsmith reminded students that the spirit of the day was just the beginning of their time at Stony Brook, and what they can offer back to the community. “Rigorous, rewarding, and year-round work is what we’re all about at Stony Brook University. That is why Stony Brook chose you to be among our students, not only for your academic excellence, but also for the people that you are, who want to give back to their communities. I hope today’s projects will inspire you to continue volunteering throughout your time at Stony Brook and for years to come.”

Students traveled across Long Island to join nonprofit partners, healthcare facilities and local initiatives, including:

• Build a Home, Build a Future: Worked with Habitat for Humanity of Long Island on the construction of affordable homes.
• Hearts and Hooves: Assisted with maintenance at the Warrior Ranch Foundation, which provides therapeutic programs for veterans and first responders.
• Deliver Cheer to Children: Packed 300 toy-filled gift bags with the Little Saint Nick Foundation for Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and St. Charles Hospital.
• Beach Cleanup: Worked with Alternative Spring Break Outreach to clean up West Meadow Beach and learn about coastal conservation.
• SBU Food Pantry Project: Processed and sorted donations to support those facing food insecurity in the community.
• SBU Community Garden: Seeded, transplanted and harvested alongside student leaders.
• Support the Homeless: Partnered with the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless to assemble 547 snack kits for distribution.
• Serving America’s Heroes: Engaged with veterans at the Long Island State Veterans Home through chalk art, recreational activities and personal connections.
• Brighten the Brook (West Campus): Planted trees, bushes and flowers to enhance campus grounds.
• Brighten the Brook (East Campus): Supported the Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Micro-Farm to help provide fresh produce to patients at Stony Brook Medicine.
• Brighten the Brook (Southampton): Built planter beds at the FoodLab.

As President Goldsmith told the volunteers, “You are beginning your journey here by giving back, and that is the true spirit of Stony Brook.”