More than 1,000 members of the Quinnipiac University community will volunteer at various locations in Greater New Haven on Saturday, April 9, as part of “The Big Event.”

“Getting out there and doing community service is so significant, especially in the lives of students,” said Emily Sarnoff, one of the Quinnipiac students organizing the event. “It allows us to get out of ourselves and our busy hectic lifestyles, to give back to those who need our help the most. The Big Event is a wonderful opportunity for the Quinnipiac community to grow closer and to improve surrounding communities all at the same time.”

The Big Event is a nationwide day of community service when colleges and universities send teams out to volunteer in the community. At Quinnipiac, the day will begin with event registration on the Mount Carmel Campus at 8 a.m. followed by opening ceremonies on the quadrangle at 9 a.m.

After the opening ceremonies, teams of 10 to 30 student volunteers and local alumni will travel to non-profit organizations in Branford, Cheshire, East Haven, Hamden,  Killingworth, Meriden, Milford, New Haven, North Haven, Oxford, Shelton, West Haven and Woodbridge to perform three hours of community service.

Among the organizations, where community service will be performed are AIDS Project New Haven, West Haven Community House, Animal Haven, Edgewood Park in New Haven, Girl Scouts of Connecticut, Wallingford YMCA and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

In addition, Quinnipiac alumni chapters in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York are also taking part in the Big Event by performing community service projects in their areas.

          The Big Event organizers will also be holding a canned food and shoe drive from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, in the North Lot of Quinnipiac’s Mount Carmel Campus. Members of the community are invited to donate canned food goods and shoes, which will benefit The Downtown Soup Kitchen and Soles4Souls.