Each October, Make A Difference Day lands on the fourth Saturday of the month and is a nationwide day of service. Volunteers give their time and skills to any number of service and volunteer projects, in hopes of making a difference in their communities.

This year, more than 2,700 volunteer Fort Hood Soldiers, Family members and civilians adopted 50 projects across the greater Fort Hood area to make a difference in the lives of community members, Diane Williams, project manager, Army Volunteer Corps, said.

“We had a goal of making this year the biggest and best year for Make A Difference Day,” Williams said. “I really think we exceeded that goal.”

Instead of sleeping in or sitting on the couch watching college football, people of all ages from Fort Hood and Killeen went out into their communities on Saturday to find a way to give back.

Area groups and individuals submitted projects for adoption to Army Volunteer Corps office at Fort Hood.

Traditionally, projects adopted by Fort Hood groups have involved non-profit organizations or military-connected individuals, CarolAnn Hone, volunteer coordinator, said.

“Anyone can submit a project,” Hone said, adding that there is no guarantee a project will be adopted. “It’s all about where the need is.”

Soldiers and Family members from the 602nd Ordnance Company spread gravel in the driveway, reattached skirting and constructed a porch railing at the home of a disabled veteran in Kempner.

A group from Bronco Youth Center visited the Mission Soup Kitchen in downtown Killeen to help clean up the soup kitchen’s yard and pantry.

Desiree Eaglin and Amanda Rosales, both 13, were part of the crew working in the large pantry. While Eaglin dusted shelves of canned goods, Rosales stacked and organized bunches of paper plates.

“I wanted to make a difference instead of just sitting at home all day Saturday,” Eaglin said. She said that it’s important to help those who don’t have what the more fortunate people have.

“We’re provided with a lot of stuff,” Rosales added. “So if you can give some time to help out other people, that’s good.”

Mission Soup Kitchen Manager Jana Donovan said Bronco Youth Center has sent a group for MDDAY every year for the past several years. The soup kitchen has been serving since 1988 and is run by all volunteers, she said, so groups like Bronco Youth Center and days of service like MDDAY are important to them.

“It just keeps us open,” Donovan said. “We’re all volunteers, so without the support of the community, we couldn’t do this. It takes a lot – Monday through Friday, we’re feeding about 80 people a day right now.”

Hale said MDDAY is probably the most humbling event put on at Fort Hood.

“It reminds us we may have tough times, but there is always someone who has it worse,” she said.

The day also brings awareness to many organizations in the surrounding communities, Williams added.

My Brother’s House, the Copperas Cove food pantry, was the benefactor of several food, paper goods and utensil drives this year. Hone witnessed the impact those deliveries made on the director, Patrick Richardson.

“He burst into tears,” she said. “ I call that one a success.”

Hone said the MDDAY efforts gave Richardson’s food pantry more visibility in the community. That publicity lets members of the community know more about available resources for assistance.

“It helps others learn about the different organizations,” she said. “It’s outreach and helps (Fort Hood) set up potential partnerships.”

For the first time, this year a group from Austin participated in the Fort Hood area for MDDAY, Hone said.

“Austin School of Learning brought a truck full of paper products and canned food to My Brother’s House,” she said.

Some other projects for MDDAY centered around the outdoors and beautifying the Fort Hood community.

A group from the U.S. Operational Test Command was originally going to do some work out at the athletic fields across from Venable Village Elementary School, but a youth soccer game prompted the group to move its efforts to the ballpark next to Duncan Elementary School on Fort Hood.

“This is my first time (volunteering for MDDAY),” said 1st Sgt. Claudia Barros, OTC. She said she decided to volunteer for Saturday to support the community. “My kids used to play in these fields, they used to play soccer (here), so it’s great to come out here and help out and make a difference.”

A few of the OTC crew brought their children along to help with the project, which included mowing the tall grass on the fields and cleaning wilted vines off of fences.

Hone was impressed to see the youth out helping on a Saturday. She said one 14-year-old named Jameson told her he was out there because, “it was the right thing to do.”

The assistance provided by OTC was an enormous help.

“Because of understaffing, there is a struggle to keep those fields maintained,” Hone explained.

Barros said the OTC group was very motivated and excited to be out making a difference in their community.

Making a difference for one and all was the goal, after all, but Army Volunteer Corps staff hope the sentiment continues year-round.

“It’s one day of doing something phenomenal,” Hone said. “Hopefully it has lasting effects.”