May 13, 2025

More than 20 Pratt alumni and students recently gathered in Willoughby Hall on Saturday, April 26 to prepare care packages for families at the Hall Street shelter as part of the second annual Student-Alumni Day of Service organized by Student Involvement, Community Board (CBoard), and Alumni Engagement. 

The care packages, adorned with friendly illustrations, featured notes of encouragement, snacks donated by the campus food provider Chartwells, toiletries donated by the Resilience, Wellness, and Well-being Center, and resources for non-English speaking residents to use at the local New York Public Library. 

The Left Panel shows a woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a black shirt and sitting on a green chair, is organizing printed flyers on a white table. The flyers feature text and logos related to community support. A smartphone and a water bottle are placed beside the stack of papers. The background is a teal-painted wall with a red fire alarm mounted on it. The center panel shows a room with teal-painted walls shows a table covered in a white plastic tablecloth. On the table are open cardboard boxes filled with snacks and supplies, including a pile of granola bars. In front of the table, a black utility wagon is filled with small white paper gift bags, neatly arranged in rows. Nearby, a blue couch and some chairs are visible, with a red EXIT sign hanging above a doorway. The right panel shows a group of people sits around a large table covered with a white plastic tablecloth, participating in a craft activity. Various supplies like colored markers, stickers, and paper bags are scattered across the table. A handwritten sign labeled "Snacks" is propped up in a cardboard box. Some participants are drawing and decorating bags, while others are conversing. The room has teal walls, bright lighting, and additional tables with refreshments in the background.
Students and alumni preparing care packages (photos by Prisha Goldy Pakania, BFA Communications Design (Graphic Design) ’26)
A student drawing colorful designs on the care packages (photo by Prisha Goldy Pakania, BFA Communications Design (Graphic Design) ’26)
A student drawing colorful designs on the care packages (photo by Prisha Goldy Pakania, BFA Communications Design (Graphic Design) ’26)

After assembling 200 care packages, the group traveled to the shelter, which houses recently arrived migrant families, to distribute them and serve catered food. The day was a unique opportunity for Pratt students and alumni to get together, reconnect, and make a positive impact in the local community.

Two young women stand behind a table filled with food and care packages, smiling at the camera. The woman on the left wears a white t-shirt with a yellow “Santorini” logo and glasses, while the woman on the right holds up both hands in peace signs, wearing clear plastic gloves and a grey t-shirt that reads "So Lazy." The table is loaded with boxes of Cup Noodles, crates of bagels in plastic bags, a stack of printed flyers, and several decorated white gift bags labeled with phrases like "Sigue Adelante" (Spanish for "Keep Going"). To the right, aluminum trays of prepared hot food are visible. The scene is set outdoors, against a metal roll-up door and a brick wall with graffiti.
Students helping to distribute care packages (photo by Prisha Goldy Pakania, BFA Communications Design (Graphic Design) ’26)
A row of volunteers wearing plastic gloves is serving hot food from large metal trays at an outdoor event. The dishes include pasta with Alfredo sauce and a mixed vegetable stir-fry. In the foreground, there are cardboard boxes filled with decorated white paper bags containing assorted snacks, including bags of chips. One bag prominently displays the message "Sigue Adelante" (Spanish for "Keep Going") with hand-drawn flowers and leaves. To the left, there are plastic bags filled with bagels stacked in a crate. The background shows a brick wall with graffiti.
A bountiful display (photo by Prisha Goldy Pakania, BFA Communications Design (Graphic Design) ’26)

The Pratt community has volunteered at the Hall Street shelter numerous times over the past year. Last December, CBoard hosted a Christmas-themed event at the shelter, where gifts were distributed to children, volunteers led arts activities, and a meal was organized and served to residents. The School of Art’s Fellow in Civic Engagement Alex Strada has created a mobile mutual aid cart to gather donated goods and bring them to the shelter, and student-athletes have been distributing clothes and serving food at Hall Street throughout the spring semester.