Notre Dame partners with community organizations for Walk the Walk Week service project
Nearly 300 students from the University of Notre Dame took over Duncan Student Center on Feb. 1 to sort through thousands of donated items to create winter and personal care kits for this year’s Walk the Walk Week service project.
The campus-wide donation drive launched in early January and encouraged faculty, staff and students to donate new supplies, including personal hygiene items, socks, waterproof gloves, winter hats, diapers and more. All donations were distributed to four local organizations serving individuals in the South Bend region facing hardship and housing insecurity: Center for the Homeless, Hope Ministries, Our Lady of the Road and St. Margaret’s House.
"It’s great to see the Notre Dame community come out in solidarity and support of this important service project,” says Ethan Chiang, Notre Dame Student Government’s director of South Bend Engagement. “We are supporting local organizations that help the unhoused population in South Bend.”
“I am just thrilled to be at this incredible event. The support we will get from this event is so helpful to the women and children we serve and we are so grateful.”
In total, nearly 3,000 items were donated by Notre Dame faculty and staff and 721 winter and personal care kits were assembled by students. In addition, students made blankets and wrote personal notes for the care kits that were distributed on Feb 3.
“I am just thrilled to be at this incredible event,” says Katie Elliot, executive director of St. Margaret’s House. “The support we will get from this event is so helpful to the women and children we serve and we are so grateful.”
The event was co-sponsored by Notre Dame Student Government, the Office of Public Affairs and Communications, and Procurement Services in partnership with the Office of the President.
Walk the Walk Week is a week-long series of University, department, and student-sponsored events to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, and took place this year from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1.
Originally published by at publicaffairs.nd.edu on Feb. 6, 2025.
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