YSPH volunteers fan out across New Haven for 10th annual Day of Service

One of the yearly highlights for Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) faculty, students, and staff is the annual Day of Service, which provides an opportunity to give back to the greater New Haven community and the many local organizations working to improve public health.

This year was no different.

On Friday, May 9, Casual Friday became Community Friday as dozens of YSPH representatives spread out across New Haven and the surrounding area to make new friends, offer their time and services, and explore the many impactful community programs taking place right outside Yale’s campus.

This year, 98 volunteers participated in the annual Day of Service, according to YSPH Coordinator Jason Martinez, MS, director of the Community Impact Lab within the Office of Public Health Practice.

YSPH participants were matched with 10 service projects at nine locations. The projects varied widely. At the New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing Dedicated to Victims of Gun Violence, YSPH volunteers donned boots and rain gear as they worked outside raking, cutting back vegetation, and doing other landscaping for the site, which offers space for quiet meditation and remembrance of loved ones. At Gather New Haven community farms, volunteers spread mulch, planted, and weeded to prepare for the upcoming growing season.

Further north in Wallingford, a YSPH group sorted food for distribution at Connecticut Foodshare while another team prepared packages for the Diaper Bank in North Haven. In Hamden, YSPH volunteers cleaned offices and common areas to help the YMCA’s Camp Mountain Laurel campground get ready for summer.

A great many YSPH volunteers made new friends while taking part in engaging activities—from arts and crafts to karaoke and bingo—with the residents of Leeway residential care, the Mary Wade Home, and Ella B. Scantlebury Senior Residence in New Haven.

Martinez said 2025 marked the 10-year anniversary of the YSPH Day of Service. It was also the first Day of Service for YSPH as a newly independent school at Yale. Many of the participating sites have long-standing ties with YSPH, hosting student internships and partnering with faculty and staff on special projects.

YSPH’s strong showing at the annual Day of Service is a reflection of the school’s primary mission, which includes helping to build resilient public health communities at Yale, in New Haven, and beyond.

“The YSPH Day of Service is about more than just volunteering; it's a celebration of how we can all come together to create a healthier, stronger community,” said Martinez, who has served as YSPH’s Day of Service coordinator for the past three years.

Huwerl Thornton Jr., volunteer services manager for Connecticut Foodshare, appreciates the effort.

“Your team made a great difference in the lives of so many and it looks like they had fun while doing it,” Thornton Jr. said. “We hope to have you back in the very near future! You are always welcome at Connecticut Foodshare.”