600 cadets participate in community service projects Jan. 31 Published Feb. 2, 2015 By Airman 1st Class Rachel Hammes U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Nearly 600 Academy cadets participated in a half-day of community service projects in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado Springs, Colo., Jan. 31. After a morning of uniform and room inspections, cadets were released at noon and given the opportunity to perform volunteer work in the local area. The largest project was a cadet-run canned food drive for the Care and Share Food Bank. Cadets took donations at two major businesses and canvassed 10 different neighborhoods. Cadets filled several pallets with canned and dried food. They also helped staff the Dreampower Animal Rescue adoption fair, made sandwiches to hand out to the homeless in downtown Colorado Springs, and cleaned stables and groomed horses at the Pikes Peak Therapeutic Riding Center, among other events. Cadets performed approximately 38,000 hours of community service during the 2013-2014 academic year as part of the Academy's Cadet Service Leadership program, which connects community organizations with cadet volunteers, said Michael Lee, head of Integration and Outreach at the Academy's Center for Character and Leadership Development.