VITA serves the lower-income community in Hackettstown and the surrounding areas. VITA offers free tax preparation during tax season for this population. Centenary University partners with United Way to provide this service to the community. United Way offers this service in the spring during tax season. Individuals reach out to the United Way to set up appointments, then Centenary University students provide the service.

Volunteering benefits our students in many ways. Our students meet many different people from many different backgrounds, which allows them to see how different people live, providing students with greater knowledge of the world around them.

In the fall Centenary University students are certified by the IRS to prepare taxes and they are able to take this knowledge and immediately apply it to real-life situations in the spring. This program is open to all students from Freshmen to Seniors and the skills that these students learn go far beyond taxes. They learn how to talk with individuals from diverse backgrounds about their finances, building skills in empathy, understanding, and diplomacy.