Volunteer opportunities immerse students in Detroit and beyond

Volunteering is a tradition in many cultures; it is a way to do work for something other than the self, to build up one’s community and the people in it.   

University of Detroit Mercy offers a diverse array of volunteer programs, covering all aspects of its community, such as food security, literacy and immersion into other cultures.

The Titan Equity Nourish Network (TENN) organization is among the most popular volunteer opportunities at UDM. 

“Our main focus and mission is to solve the issue of food insecurity and injustice,” says TENN accounting intern Tori King. “We cater to the community we’re in, we try to make an impact on the community around us.”   

TENN solves food insecurity through food donations. Food donated by students and faculty, as well as produce grown in the campus garden, is hand delivered to neighborhoods around Detroit. TENN also organizes programs to minimize food waste in the eating locations on campus. 

“I never thought of all the different issues that come with not having grocery stores near you,” King said. “If they are mom and pop ones, they cost more than in the suburbs, and people usually don’t have transportation. They have to rely on public transportation. Could you imagine walking with all your grocery bags and things back home, especially in the wintertime? These are things I’ve never had to think of. 

“There’s an actual need in the community we’re trying to address. We’re not just being handed a diploma and being told to go out in the world. We’re becoming good, ethical working people that are going to make a change in the world.” 

Among the many volunteer programs hosted at Detroit Mercy, Rx for Reading Detroit involves itself with the educational well-being of the community.

Erin Letourneau, senior student employee of Rx for Reading Detroit, believes that serving the local community can prove the significance of service to others.

“On campus, we sort through book donations and pack them up as necessary for our community partners and events,” she said. “Rx has helped me to gain so much knowledge about the needs of our local community and has created a drive to help children thrive in their childhood education through literacy skills.”

Rx for Reading Detroit is a non-profit organization that partners with Detroit Mercy to expand access to children’s books and help families in the city develop their young student’s literacy ability. Since 2014, Rx for Reading Detroit has donated more than 2,000 books and built many community libraries.

“My favorite community event has been the annual Literacy Fest hosted by Great Start of Wayne County. Seeing all the children get so excited over the books and jump right into reading them is a memory I will never forget,” Letourneau continued. “Working hands-on with children and their families has not only been a feel-good experience, but truly has been rewarding.”

Among other service opportunities students can choose from, University Ministry hosts service immersion trips that allow students to bridge the gap with people across the country. Sr. Erin McDonald leads these trips, which are available to all students.

“TENN and the University Ministry collaborated on a food justice immersion day, so we had about 10 students and we spent the day in the city, where we learned about food access, and food systems, and the intersectionality of economics and race in Detroit,” McDonald said. 

Service immersion trips go far beyond Detroit, too. In May, a United States/Mexico border trip will bring student volunteers to the city of El Paso, Texas, to connect with the families who are impacted by international injustice. 

“We’re trying to tackle the challenges of us entering into communities where we don’t understand the realities, we don’t know the stories,” McDonald said. “That’s an important part of the work: listening to people in the community, hearing what their story is, and hearing what they would name for themselves as their struggles and what they need help with. How might we together try to change some of those injustices?” 

To learn more about the volunteer programs at Detroit Mercy, explore here for service immersion experiences, TENN, or other service learning programs. 

– By Marketing & Communications student intern James Whitener