Students at California State University, Northridge will trade the snooze button on their alarms for trash pickers and bags as they set out to beautify the CSUN campus and surrounding neighborhood on Saturday, September 9, from 8 a.m. to noon.

CSUN’s student-run volunteer program, Unified We Serve, is hosting its third annual Matador Day of Service and partnering with the community to preserve the beauty of the campus and Northridge area.

“CSUN has a long history of service and we are extremely proud to continue to make history,” said Unified We Serve coordinator Maria Elizondo.

Attendees will gather on the Bayramian Hall Lawn, located on the west side of campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge to be given supplies.

Students will street sweep, clean up litter and remove weeds within a two-block radius around the campus. Attendees also will participate in gardening projects, such as gathering oranges in the Orange Grove and planting in CSUN’s educational garden. All oranges gathered will be donated to local food pantries.

“Through this event, we hope to provide our students with the opportunity to become involved,” Elizondo said. “They will be able to meet other CSUN students, alumni and community members, but most importantly our students can contribute to their community of CSUN and Northridge.”

The event was created in the fall of 2015 in partnership with CSUN’s Office of Government and Community Relations, Associated Students and University Student Union. The community partners involved are District 12 council member Mitch Englander, Northridge Beautification Foundation, Northridge Chamber of Commerce and the Northridge Neighborhood Councils: east, south and west. The new organizations involved include the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission and Los Angeles Family Housing.

Neighborhood Councils will have table booths set up at the event where students will have the opportunity to meet and network.