First-year MPA students wrapped up their Socialization Seminar with service learning projects across the community. Students served at the Northeast Georgia Food Bank, Bear Hollow Zoo, Books for Keeps, Fowler Drive Elementary School, and Coile Middle School. Students who served at Fowler Drive Elementary School and Coile Middle School tended to the on-site gardens that provide food to the Pack to Plate program, which distributes food and provides nutritional education to local children. The students who served with Books for Keeps Program helped them with their annual book sale that raises money so that they can distribute books to children from low-income families to prevent “summer slide,” the learning loss suffered by many children when they are away from school. Books for Keeps as well as Pack to Plate are organizations that have graduates from the Masters in Public Administration program as directors. Students concluded their service with a discussion on what they learned at their locations as well as how they can relate their classwork to the work that is currently being done in the community. These projects made some headway to each student’s goal to volunteer 100 hours of their time while in the MPA program.
