The 11th Annual Big Event is set to take place this Saturday, and over 900 students have already signed up to volunteer their time to give back to the  Grand Forks community.

Last year there were approximately 800 people, and although this year is already surpassing the prior year, Promotions Chair Steph Lee said she hopes to get even more volunteers signed up.

“My goal is to get 1,400 people,” Lee said. “We need to make sure we have enough students to accommodate the job sites.”

The Big Event is designed to get UND students, faculty and staff out in the community helping with whatever organizations and others in need want help with.

“The Greater Grand Forks community has done so much for UND, so it’s kind of a way for us to say thank you for their continuous support of the university,” Lee said. “I think it’s great, people volunteering their time the day of (the event).”

“I don’t know what happened to it,” she said.

This year each volunteer is being asked to bring one non-perishable food item with them to the wellness center the day of the event. The food will all be donated to St. Joseph’s Food Pantry, and if all goes well Lee hopes for more than 1,000 items.

“I don’t know what happened to it,” she said.

Eleven years ago, the first Big Event also included a food drive, but Lee said that sort of fell by the wayside until now.

Anyone affiliated with the university is welcome to volunteer. Packets are available in the Student Involvement office in the Memorial Union.

“I work a lot with new students with summer orientation and one of the biggest things we’re after is letting students know, ‘How can I get involved?’” Lee said. “This is a great way to do community service and give back to the community.”

Marie Monson is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].