Living the Mission: Montclair State University Launches Inaugural Community Impact Day

Key Takeaways

• 229 employees from Montclair and Bloomfield campuses participated

• 15 sites off campus and 2 on-campus projects 

• 16,000 pounds of food packaged for Rise Against Hunger

• 600+ personal-item packets for at-risk and homeless youth

Almost 230 Montclair State University and Bloomfield College of Montclair State University staff and faculty members fanned out across three New Jersey counties to bring the University’s public service commitment to life. Montclair volunteers bagged food, personal items and Halloween treats, stocked pantry shelves, sorted through donated clothing and cleaned parks and historical sites on October 22, which marked the first Community Impact Day, sponsored by the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships. Many volunteers remained on campus to bag items for Rise Against Hunger and Covenant House.

Speaking to staff gathered for breakfast in the Student Center Ballrooms before their volunteer service, President Jonathan Koppell emphasized that the University's mission involves creating active citizens and contributing to the well-being of surrounding communities like Paterson, Montclair, Clifton, Little Falls, Orange and Newark. The goal of the staff-led initiative was to move beyond internal academic discussions to address real-world challenges through professional expertise, he said.

“This is what it means to be a community-oriented organization,” Koppell said, noting that the event was the brainchild of Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and Special Assistant to the President Ashante Connor. “This day is an expression of the commitment we have as a university to involve everybody to create space for doing this, and so we call this Community Impact Day.”

Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Fatma Mili echoed Koppell’s comments, noting: “Community service, public service and our commitment to the community is really in the DNA of this university.”

She highlighted that community is built through shared responsibility and ownership of each other's well-being and encouraged participants to practice “purity of attention” by being fully present and listening to community members during their service projects, which were held both on and off campus.

Making a Difference in Paterson and Montclair

A dozen Montclair volunteers helped unpack food, stock shelves and sort through clothing donations at Father English Community Center, which operates a thrift store and consumer-choice food pantry. It serves 5,000 needy families monthly.

“Volunteering at Father English reignited my love for serving my community, and I am actively looking for ways to give back to the community that raised me,” said EOF Counselor/Academic Advisor Tabitha Riley. “I love my EOF family, so volunteering alongside them strengthened our bond and commitment to serving others. This experience also allowed me to connect with colleagues from other departments. It reminded me that service is something we do for others, but the experience is also for us. Community service brings people of all ages, backgrounds, beliefs, and departments into one space where, for once, we are not focused on ourselves, but on the good of the people we are there to serve.”

Glen McCall, a 30-year volunteer leader who showed Montclair’s volunteers the ropes, said: “Without volunteers, this place could not operate.” McCall, a Montclair alumnus, Counseling ’90, who works as director of youth ministry at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Ridgewood, New Jersey, explained that volunteers help free up pantry and thrift store staff to fulfill their duties. “It's great seeing that the schools that I went to are giving back to the community; that says a lot about what those institutions are.”

Kristen Eddy, program associate in the Center for Academic Success and Tutoring, and Joseph Perez, CAST assistant director for tutoring and peer academic coaching, helped clear a park and met new friends. “We assisted with the cleanup of some of nature's debris and garbage, while simultaneously taking in the most beautiful day at Montclair's Yantacaw Brook Park,” Eddy said, adding that her day also “included a bit of turtle and duck watching.”

Looking Ahead to an Annual Tradition of Service

Connor said she was pleased with the success of Community Impact Day.

“The time, energy and commitment to service from faculty and staff helped make this a meaningful experience for our Montclair and Bloomfield communities and the community partners we served,” said Connor. “Together, we put civic engagement, public service and inclusion into action while building connections with colleagues across the University. We are grateful for the care and enthusiasm brought to the day.”

She and other organizers hope to make the volunteer day an annual event and are currently seeking feedback on how to make improvements, as well as additional nonprofit organizations with which to partner in the future.