A group of Northern Essex Community College students spent spring break volunteering at local shelters in the community. On March 12 and 13 Northern Essex students and staff members worked on several projects at the shelters, including clean-up projects at Emmaus in Haverhill and Lazarus House in Lawrence, and serving meals at Cor Unum in Lawrence.

Tuesday morning they worked on a major cleaning of the hallways and walls of an Emmaus building, which is called ‘The Ark’, at 2 Columbia Park in Haverhill. “This is the one that really needed a lot,” said Sharon Giunta the director of program quality for Emmaus. They normally have one of the tenants in each building that clean for a little reduction on their rent. “They do a little bit of cleaning, but nothing major like this, which you need to do every once in a while.”

This is the fifth year NECC’s Athletics, Recreation & Intramurals Department in conjunction with the NECC Student Engagement Center have organized this event. According to Maureen Saliba, Assistant Athletic Director at NECC who coordinated this event, five students participated and two college staff members.

“This has been wonderful, we really appreciate it. They are really doing a wonderful thing,” said Giunta.

“I figured it would be something fun to do,” said Izzy Estrada a Haverhill NECC student. He said it was great working with the people, and being able to see that part of society. “It makes you wonder.”