Students gathered on Aug. 27 in the SUN building to donate socks, make stuffed animals and enjoy ice cream at the “Sock It” event organized by the Office of Student Engagement.

In an effort to build community at AACC, organizers asked participants to bring clean socks to the event, which OSE will donate to a local charity, Arundel House of Hope, which is accepting donations of winter clothes, according to OSE event specialist Winnie Shabazz.

“It’s important to understand how to build relationships with other organizations within the community, and it also helps other families in need,” Shabazz said. “I thought that socks would be a good place to start … and it kind of ties into the theme of, like, socks, like cotton, and [students] stuffing the bears.”

According to Shabazz, students donated more than $100 worth of socks.

Students spent the afternoon making stuffed animals and socializing.

“I think it’s good to be able to start the year off building community and also doing something that benefits others,” third- year entrepreneurship student Jazz Perez, who attended the event, said.

First-year homeland security management and intelligence analytics student Annaliz Gonzalez agreed.

“I honestly love Build-a-Bear and I wanted to donate,” Gonzalez said. “So, I just thought it was like a good win-win and … get to know people.”