The cold weather and steady snowfall didn’t stop the Selma University Bulldogs baseball team from volunteering to bag groceries at the Food Outlet on J.L. Chestnut Jr. Boulevard this past Friday.

The Bulldogs spent the morning bagging groceries, returning shopping carts and asking for donations to help their program, according to head coach and Selma U athletic director Adrian Holloway.

“It was just something to do for a little community service project and also raise a little money for the baseball program,” Holloway said. “We really needed to do a team project that was community service based to help someone.”

Dressed in their Selma U apparel, the team started assisting with bags at 9 a.m., and stayed until noon. According to Holloway the weather didn’t hold the team back too much. A couple of the players had never seen snow before, so it was a new experience for them.

“It was a little chilly, but it wasn’t bad,” Holloway said. “Getting to interact and mingle with the community was pretty fun for the kids.”

Senior Brandon Woodland spent the morning multi-tasking. When he wasn’t assisting with the groceries, he was introducing himself and his teammates to the community in an effort to gain their support.

“We made a good little bit from the people who were interested in helping us,” he said.

Woodland also said that this was a great opportunity to introduce the freshman to how the Bulldogs operate as a team. The newcomers also got to see their coach pull his own weight too, as he helped bring in carts from the snowy parking lot.

“It’s motivational…not only is he our coach, but he’s also showing us how to build a program,” Woodland said. “It takes a team to build anything, and we also need fans to support us. So, we have to do what we have to do to get the fans support.”

The Bulldogs season starts in February, but they are planning to have another community service day in January. The plans haven’t been finalized yet, but Holloway said that he’s trying to work out a similar service day at the Winn-Dixie next month. The team hopes to increase local support by showing that they are a part of this community and are willing to extend a hand as well.

“It’s important so we can be in touch with and be visible in the community,” Holloway said. “It lets people know we’re still here, so we do our part to give back to the community.”