Community Service Days
Mack Gives Back is a community-wide series of service events commemorating two days of significance in Merrimack’s history - Veterans Day and St. Augustine’s birthday.
2021 Mack Gives Back
Merrimack students, faculty and staff packed more than 180,000 meals during six separate events this fall and spring.
Instead of the event’s typical raking, painting and outdoor cleanup activities, Mack Gives Back transitioned to providing meals to nearby food pantries and soup kitchens. We partnered with the Outreach Program, a meal packaging nonprofit that delivered food directly to Merrimack’s campus. Mack Gives Back participants then packaged the meals that were picked up and delivered to those in need.
- 1,000+ Mack Gives Back volunteers
- Six events in fall 2020 and spring 2021
- Hourlong shifts of 20 people or less
- 96,000 meals went to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank this fall
- 90,000 meals went to the Lazarus House in the spring
Read May 5, 2021 News: Mack Gives Back Tackles Food Insecurity
2020 Mack Gives Back
Mack Gives Back may have looked different in 2020, but its impact was just as big as past years.
Event Summary
- Dates: Saturday, September 19, Saturday, October 17 and Saturday, November 14
- Participants: 580+ students, faculty and alumni
- Hours Packing Food: 37+ hours
- Number of Meals Packed: 72,000
Read News: Merrimack Continues Mack Gives Back Tradition
Watch Mack Gives Back Report from MCTV
Photos from Mack Gives Back
About Mack Gives Back
Mack Gives Back was founded in 2012 by Merrimack’s vice president for mission and ministry, Father Raymond Dlugos, O.S.A.
More than a thousand faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends fan out across the Merrimack Valley and beyond to lend a helping hand to nonprofits and municipal agencies in need of assistance. Volunteers perform a number of services, including raking leaves, picking up trash, stocking food pantries and more.
Contact Us
Rosana Urbaez
Director, Hands to Help
978-837-5822
mackgivesback@merrimack.edu
Archive of Past Events
2019: Nov. 1 - 8
Read News: Mack Gives Back Blazes New Trails, Honors Veterans
2018: Nov. 1 - 9
Instead of having everyone volunteering at the same time on the same day, our 2018 event had students, faculty, staff and alumni volunteering throughout a nine-day period: Thursday, Nov. 1 through Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.
The theme of our 2018 event was “Honoring Those Who Have Served by Serving Others.” This ties in with Merrimack’s founding mission to provide educational opportunities for local soldiers returning home from World War II and the Augustinian tradition of service.
2017: Nov. 4
Read News: Mack Gives Back Day Honors Those Who Serve