Civic Engagement Annual Events
Civic engagement is embedded into Carnegie Mellon's culture. No matter what time of year it is, you can find opportunities to give back and to lean into the CMU and Pittsburgh communities. SLICE's annual civic engagement opportunities are available to undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff both on-campus and in the local community.
Fall Semester
Days of Service
Volunteer with your fellow Tartans during CMU's Days of Service, which include both small and large scale opportunities.
Volunteer Fair
August 30th, 2024 from 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.Rangos Ballroom, Cohon University Center
Connect to Opportunities: Talk with individuals who are as passionate about civic engagement as you are. Students, faculty, staff and local alumni can connect with more than 50 local, non-profit and campus student organizations that focus on direct service, activism, philanthropy, and community building. Check back soon for the list of participating organizations.
Want to table? Community agencies and service-focused student organizations are the foundation of the Volunteer Fair. Interested participants should email Volunteer@andrew.cmu.edu to table at this year’s Fair.
The Civic Engagement Student Summit
The Civic Engagement Student Summit is an annual opportunity for students to network and attend sessions on best practices in civic engagement. The Summit is free and open to all students, undergraduate and graduate. Previous summits have featured break-out sessions on different topics such as philanthropy and community partnership building, as well as a keynote speaker. Information about the 2023 Student Summit will be available soon!
Season of Giving
Students, faculty, and staff have the opportunity to support local families and communities all-year-round with CMU's Season of Giving.
Rise Against Hunger
10th Year Anniversary
February 15th, 2025 from 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.Wiegand Gym, Cohon University Center
Register to end hunger!
-
Dedicated individuals and organizations — from businesses to civic clubs — can participate in a hands-on international hunger relief program and become educated, engaged advocates for the world’s hungry. Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now) distributes food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable — mobilizing the necessary resources to end hunger by 2030. This volunteer-based initiative coordinates the assembly-line packaging of highly nutritious dehydrated meals consisting of rice, soy, vegetables and 23 essential vitamins and minerals. This year, we will be celebrating our 10th year anniversary of hosting and partnering with Rise Against Hunger! Please join us to celebrate our anniversary and milestone of packing over 1 million meals at this year’s event! If you are interested in learning more or helping with CMU’s Rise Against Hunger event, please contact SLICE or register today!
-
Read the impact that our meal kits have had at a variety of locations (Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Zambia, DR, Somalia, Philippines, Zimbabwe) over the years!
820 million people across the world don’t receive enough nutrition to lead an active, healthy life.
331,199 volunteers around the globe put their hands on hunger in 2023.
3.7 million lives nourished by Rise Against Hunger meals and other aid in 2023.
1 million+ meals packaged by more than 3,200 CMU community volunteers over the last 10 years.
Civic Engagement Appreciation Event
The Nexus of Civic Engagement recognizes civic engagement work being done by the CMU community during the Civic Engagement Appreciation Event. This event showcases the significant impact individuals and organizations are having in the community.
Wear your favorite shirt that represents your civic engagement experience, have your photo taken and share your story of why you serve.
The Whatever Drive
Taking place during Move-Out, the Whatever Drive is CMU's annual effort to divert unwanted, but still good, items from landfills, and instead donate them to campus initiatives and local community partners.
Donation station PODs or designated drop-off sites will be in place beginning the last week of classes. Donate your items at the spots most convenient for you!
This year's Whatever Drive will run from Wednesday, April 23rd through Monday, May 12th. Items can be dropped off at the Nexus of Civic Engagement from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday during the drive. The Nexus of Civic Engagement is located on the first floor of the Cohon University Center. There will also be opportunities to take donations at different POD stations across campus. Please read the rest of this webpage for more information about this program. Please direct questions about the Whatever Drive to SLICE@andrew.cmu.edu.
There are six (6) drop-off locations with various drop-off hours:
April 23 - May 9th: Everyday 4:30pm - 6:30pm
May 12: 10am-1pm
April 23 - May 9th: Everyday 4:30pm - 6:30pm
May 12: 10am-1pm
April 23 - May 9th: Everyday 4:30pm - 6:30pm
May 12: 10am-1pm
April 23 - May 9: Monday through Friday, 10am-12pm
May 12: 10am - 12pm
April 23 - May 12 : Monday through Friday, 9am-4pm
April 23 - May 9: Everyday from 10am-12pm & 4:30pm-6:30pm
May 12: 10am-1pm
Donations are accepted at drop-off times only. Any items left during closed hours will be collected as landfill trash.
Have items you need to donate outside drop-off hours? Many of the community partners listed below accept donations directly at their stores.
Accepted Items
We can accept many items ranging from clothing, shoes, kitchen goods, small appliances and electronics, books, office supplies, unopened non-perishable foods, bicycles, art supplies, etc…
Please use good judgement when donating items to the Whatever Drive. All donated items should be clean and in still-working condition.
Items we DO NOT Accept
Please do not donate large furniture, open food, mattress foams, pillows, soiled/heavily stained clothing, and rugs.
Community Partners
We are proud to sponsor our various community and campus partners. Learn more about their impactful work: