Sara Duane, of Braintree, Mass., leads a student service trip to Philadelphia

MANCHESTER, NH (04/24/2012)(readMedia)-- Saint Anselm College junior, Sara Duane of Braintree, Mass., led a volunteer service group to Philadelphia during her spring break. Her group served at St. Francis Inn, a soup kitchen run by the Franciscans. Students prepared and served meals, delivered meals to homes, assisted in thrift store clean up, and worked with women's shelter outreach.

One hundred and forty Saint Anselm students participated in this years Spring Break Alternative trips, which are part of the college's Service and Solidarity Missions program. Groups visited Arizona, Louisiana, Costa Rica, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Maine, Mississippi, and New Hampshire. Students spent time with different organizations, repairing homes, serving food, painting, cleaning, and assisting the site in any way possible.

The Service and Solidarity Missions program consists of student-led service trips overseen by Campus Ministry during winter, spring, and summer breaks. This year, the program will send a total of 217 students to 16 sites.

Saint Anselm College is a Benedictine, Catholic, liberal arts college in Manchester, N.H.