Marymount Muscle Travels to Washington D.C. for January Alternative Break

The group sorting at Food & Friends in Washington, DC.

For the first time, the College’s community service program, Marymount Muscle, has planned two Alternative Break Programs in 2020. The first of the two trips included both community service activities and educational and historical sightseeing in the D.C. area.

Throughout the trip, MMC’s volunteers worked with three organizations; Capital Area Food Bank, D.C. Central Kitchen, and Food and Friends, learning the internal structures and operations of charitable food preparation. “I felt most engaged when we worked with Food and Friends,” explains Christina Bae, a sophomore Digital Journalism student. “It felt like each of us and each task we did were equally important. I felt that the organization was really passionate about the work they were doing, but also about their volunteers.”

In addition to their work, the group enjoyed a tour of Capitol Hill, a self-led MLK walking tour, and a visit to the National Museum of American History. “I really enjoyed how the days were split up by doing work earlier in the day and exploring the community later in the day,” says Megan Bros, a Public Relations and Stategic Communication and Theatre Arts sophomore who attended the trip.

According to Zakkiyya Taylor, organizing two Alternative Break trips was made possible by applying for and receiving a Great Hostel Give Back Grant by Hosteling International that provided free housing for the team. Marymount Muscle will be completing their annual Alternative Spring Break trip - this year with a focus on hunger and homelessness- from Sunday, April 5 through Thursday, April 9 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Published: February 07, 2020