The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hosted puppy day across the street from Bakersfield College on March 11. 

“We do activities every month just for BC students,” sister Turnip, a missionary from Utah, said. 

Last month they held an “I hate Valentine’s day” activity where they gave out free pizza and students could play Ping-Pong, pool, and foosball.  

This month they had puppy day. Students had the opportunity to hold puppies and play with them for a couple of hours. 

“This just took away all the stress I had all day,” said Janet, music major at BC. 

The church also had Ping-Pong, billiards, and foosball inside for anyone wanting to play. They hold these activities to help students relax and distress from their daily, busy lives. 

Many of the students walked by and were drawn to the puppies. They did not know what was happening, but they still stopped by to hold and pet the puppies. 

“This is a good way for people to bond with one another and find more friends,” Turnip said. 

They are also trying to reach out to single young adults within the area to connect them with one other and make new friends. 

The crowds of BC students and faculty would come in waves between classes. As students were heading to and from their cars, they would stop by. When classes were in session, there were only a handful of students still there playing with the puppies. 

They are planning to have scantron day next month, where they pass out free scantrons to students.