The homecoming theme of Pride in our Legacy was demonstrated yesterday as hundreds of Penn State students came out to volunteer across the Penn State community.

The fourth annual Homecoming Day of Service took place yesterday afternoon, marking the kickoff of this year's homecoming festivities. Students from various campus organizations met to take part in community service activities both on campus and throughout the community.

Participants met at the HUB-Robeson Center, where they were divided into groups and taken by team leaders to various volunteer sites in the area, Melanie Ranalli, homecoming communication overall, said. About 350 students had signed up for the event.

"We're trying to get homecoming back to the community," Ranalli said.

Service projects for the event included everything from volunteering with nursing homes, Penn DOT and food banks to the "classic" Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon mat cleaning, Todd Pontius, homecoming community service overall, said.

"We have a plethora of service options," he said.

The community service aspect of Penn State's homecoming often gets overlooked in favor of a focus on parades, football and competition, Pontius said. "The Homecoming Day of Service was created to help instill a tradition of giving back to the community," he said. "This keeps students mindful of the fact that we're not just University Park, there is a community around us."

The students involved said they felt the day of service was a good element of the homecoming schedule of events.

"It'll get everybody involved," said Nicole Walker (junior-management), a member of the group assigned to wash the Thon mats.

Rachel Henrickson, a Thon captain, said the day of service might get students involved with philanthropy at Penn State. "It gets them more involved in Penn State," she said. "We hope to help them learn more about it, so they can come out and be a part of Thon."

Kelly Ricciuti (freshman-business) said she and other students were volunteering at the House of Care, where they performed services such as raking leaves and doing yard work.

Organizers said they were happy with the number of students participating in the event. "It looks like it turned out really well," Katie Osaki (senior-life science), a team leader at the event, said.

The day of service offers students a chance to show that they do care, Mark Poblete, homecoming's overall chairman, said to participants before they began their work.

"Homecoming is about bringing our campus together," he said.