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Megan Greevy and other Lafayette students are organizing a series of events on campus to mark National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Nov. 13-17, including a canned food drive, a fast, a “Hunger Banquet,” and a brown bag discussion.
Greevy, a senior from Williamsport, Pa., is captain of the “Poverty Team,” the current coordinators of sustained voluntary service programs to combat poverty that students conduct under the auspices of Lafayette’s Landis Community Outreach Center. The Poverty Team members are pooling their energies to conduct several National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week activities.
“By combining all of our efforts together, we will heighten the awareness of the Lafayette community to these ever-present issues,” Greevy says. “At the same time, we will also be supporting local and national organizations through monetary and food donations.”
Greevy coordinates Lafayette’s outreach program at Easton’s Safe Harbor shelter. Other members of the Poverty Team are Jason Barbely ’02 (North Brunswick, N.J.), who coordinates Lafayette volunteers with the Lehigh Valley chapter of Habitat for Humanity; Kim Miller’03 (Portland, Ore.), coordinator of activities with residents of Easton’s Third Street Alliance shelter for women and children; Leigh Nichols ’02 (Nanuet, N.Y.), coordinator of the Meals for the Homeless program at Third Street Alliance; Kristen Pompizzi ’01 (Upper Darby, Pa.), who coordinates Lafayette volunteers at Easton Hospital and August Survivors Center for victims of rape and sexual assault; Heather Rabinowicz ’02 (Woodbury, N.Y.), coordinator of HIV/AIDS education-prevention programs for Easton teenagers; and Kim Rubenfeld ’03 (East Brunswick, N.J.), who coordinates the Adopt-a-Grandparent program.
The canned food drive will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov.13, with collection areas in Pardee Hall, Markle Halls, and all student residences. The food will be distributed to local shelters and churches.
Students can sign up Monday through Thursday, Nov. 13-16, for OxFam Fast, in which they forgo their normal Friday lunch and donate cash or dining service “flex dollars” to the National OxFam Organization.
A Hunger Banquet at 5:30p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, in the Landis Atrium of the Farinon College Center will raise awareness of the unequal distribution of wealth and food in the world. Student participants representing poor, middle-class, and upper-class populations will dine according to their status. The upper class population will sit at tables and be served a full-course meal. The “middle class” will sit on chairs and eat rice and vegetables. The poor — the largest group — will sit on the floor and eat only rice.
“This demonstration will have a direct impact on the participating volunteers and will heighten the awareness of students who are just walking by,” Greevy says.
A brown-bag discussion entitled “Faces of the Homeless” will be held at noon Friday, Nov. 17, in Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall. Social worker Marie Apgar and current and former residents from Easton’s Safe Harbor shelter will share their experiences of homelessness and discuss what society can do to help. Those who are not fasting may bring a lunch or purchase one for $3.