By: Chardonnae Parker / Delta Staff Writer

Every year students at Missouri Valley College try to find a way to give back to the Marshall community. Missouri Valley College’s Public Relations department has found a way to both give back to the community but also take what they are learning and bring it outside of the classroom and into the real world. 

For the last three years, the Public Relations department has partnered with the local Marshall animal shelter and its local Walmart to put on their bi-annual Fill-The-Truck Event. The event lets students do their part in community service, while giving them a little real world experience with preparing, planning, executing and running an event.  

Each year mass communication professor Harry Carrell oversees the event, but puts it in his students’ hands to give them a real world experience. Anya Muyres took part in the last year.

“I was extremely thankful for the opportunity,” she said. “It allowed me and the other students in the PR department to use, learn, and work in a real world scenario. The best part was working with the community and seeing how much support we got. I am super thankful I was able to learn, network, and get a new experience.”

Carrell said the project is about more than the students, however. This is something for the school, the community, and lastly the animals will continue to benefit from this project. Carrell works closely with his students to be sure that the event is a success. 

“As a dog lover anything I can do to help the local shelter I will do,” Carrell said. “I look forward to this event every year because I know how much the shelter employees appreciate the donations and I enjoy watching my students make a positive contribution to the community.”

This year’s Fill-the-Truck event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26. at the Walmart on Cherokee Drive.

The public relations department will host another Fill- the-Truck again sometime in the Spring semester, at a date that has yet to be determined.