Holly Buchanan Staff Writer

Rebecca Anderson, the new community engagement coordinator at Pierce College, started in December working with the Service Learning team to help the student body get involved with community service.

“We need to be a college that thinks about others,” Anderson said. Pierce College Service Learning’s next series of events for students to participate in is called the Martin Luther King, Jr. Week of Service, which begins Tuesday, Jan. 21, and continues through Friday, Jan. 24.

In the first event, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 21, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., a Lego robot war event will be held at the Lakewood Computer Clubhouse. This event gives Pierce College students the chance to build robots with at-risk children. College students will serve as mentors to the children.

Fifteen Pierce college students are needed for this event. Those students will break up into teams with the children. Lakewood Computer Clubhouse employees will show the students how to build the robots step by step. On Tuesday and Wednesday, participants will build and compete with their robots, and on Thursday the finale will be held to announce the winning team. This event will be held at the same time on each of the three days, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., and a three-day commitment is required. Pierce College will provide round-trip transportation from the Fort Steilacoom CAS Building to the Computer Clubhouse and back.

Another opportunity for service takes place Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Tacoma Rescue Mission. Volunteers will be serving dinner to the homeless from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Ten Pierce College students are needed to help. Transportation to and from this event will be provided as well.

On Friday, Jan. 24, FISH food bank in Lakewood needs 10-15 student volunteers to help sort food from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Transportation from Pierce College to the food bank and back will be provided.

Students may get more information and register online for any of the above events on the Service Learning page at www.pierce.ctc.edu/go/servicelearning .

In addition to these volunteer opportunities, a food drive supporting St. Leo Food Connection is also taking place as part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Week of Service. From now until Friday, Jan. 24, donations of non-perishable food and healthy snacks are being accepted in collection bins located around campus.