Presbyterian College held its annual day of service on Monday, Aug. 20.

The College partnered with more than a dozen service agencies across Laurens County for Dum Vivimus Servimus Day — a nod to PC’s motto “While we live, we serve.”

“Service has been a part of the PC culture since the College was founded,” said the Rev. Rachel Parsons-Wells, director of Religious Life and Service at PC. “Service Day invites new students to live into this core value and introduces them to our neighbors in Laurens County.”

Serving the Community

Students volunteered with organizations like Thornwell, Whitten Center, Bailey Manor and Habitat for Humanity. They were divided into groups and performed a variety of tasks during the afternoon.

Their work included moving furniture for children; gardening and landscaping a community garden; cleaning and painting at an equine center; along with sorting and packaging food for a food bank.

Hannah Sawyer, a junior from Clemson, was one of several students who tended to the community garden on Bell Street in Clinton. The students also helped lay the foundation for a shelter being built beside the garden.

“Helping out on Service Day is an easy way to impact the community,” Sawyer said. “Even though we sometimes don’t have the opportunity to meet the people we’re helping, it’s great knowing that we are making a difference in their lives.”

For some PC students, like Liza Powers, Katie Russell, and Sawyer, Service Day began when students moved onto campus this past weekend. On Saturday and Sunday Powers, Russell and Sawyer collected cardboard that the students used during move-in and donated it to Open Door, a ministry in Clinton which helps those suffering from homelessness, addiction and hunger.

“Recycling is such an easy step to take, and the impact it has on our environment is huge. By donating the cardboard we collected to Open Door, we were able to help not just our planet, but the people in our community as well,” Liza said.

“A Huge Help”

Amy Bell, emergency food pantry manager at Harvest Hope Bank in Greenville, said the extra help that Harvest Hope received on Monday was appreciated.

“It’s the manpower. It’s a huge help,” Bell said, as students broke down bulk bags of food. “The amount of work that they’re doing in an hour, hour-and-a-half would take our staff days — if not weeks — to finish.

“And it’s more than likely going to serve people in the Greenville area, but it also could be people coming to us or the Columbia branch who are from this area. Some are from Clinton, and some are from Laurens. So, it’s serving the community around them.”