On Sunday, Nov. 24, more than 40 Andrews University students and community members signed up to volunteer around Benton Harbor for the second annual Show Love Here Day. This event was described as a community-wide effort centered on serving others, showing compassion, and creating meaningful relationships between students and the people of Benton Harbor. Andrews University students Nicholas Gunn and student missionary Katherine Pierre created the event last year. They started this event as a way to replace Change Day, a large-scale service initiative that was later done away with by the University, and to also strengthen connections between students and residents.
From 1-3:30 p.m., volunteers dispersed across Benton Harbor and completed many community service efforts such as raking leaves for senior citizens, distributing care packages, and organizing a local community center before joining the residents for a Thanksgiving Dinner at the Benton Harbor Salvation Army. Over 300 people were served, which Mario Bledsoe, director of the Salvation Army, described as “their biggest year” and that they “want to serve everyone who comes, and are hoping for bigger and better next year.”
Berrien County Sheriff Chuck Heit said, “It’s something we look forward to every year, giving back to the community… and it’s a great way to pass on blessings we’ve been given… and we’re very honored and blessed to be able to work with our community partners who put this together and thankful for the opportunity to do it.”
Gunn described the event as “a rewarding experience to get out into neighborhoods.” He said that it was “meaningful to work directly with the community, and that it was such a great opportunity to show love and Scripture to others,” and quoted 1 John 4:11 which reads, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
Junior Caleb Rivera, one of the student volunteers who helped raking leaves, said “Volunteer work really shows God’s love to other people, and I’m really glad I was able to experience this.”
In a press release about the event, fellow organizer Katy Pierre said “Last year we witnessed students stepping up in ways that truly touched the lives of our local Benton Harbor residents, bringing Show Love Here Day back for a second year shows our commitment to making service a lifestyle, not just a one-time event.”
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.