One of those enthusiasts is Thomas A. Kim '01, who decided to join the Habitat mailing list after enjoying his frozen treat.

"I had heard about Habitat before, but I never knew there were students doing it at Harvard," Kim said.

Currently, Harvard Habitat sends about 15 students into the Boston area each weekend to build affordable housing for low-income families. Harvard has one of over 600 college Habitat chapters around the globe.

Harvard Habitat set up a large donation jar at the ice cream giveaway, which was filled to the brim with dollar bills by the end of the day. The group also sold Habitat T-shirts for $10 a piece.

The event mirrored other Ben & Jerry's giveaways across the country, all aimed at raising awareness of and participation in the Habitat program.

Lou Delatorre, a truck driver for Ben & Jerry's and a New Jersey resident, has been with the Habitat campaign since September, visiting colleges in Jersey and New York before arriving in Massachusetts.

"It's great to see that people can have a social responsibility and still have fun at the same time," Delatorre enthused.