Campus Will Fight Hunger and Homelessness Nov. 10-17

Students will have the chance to participate in Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Nov. 10-17 with activities taking place around campus and in the surrounding communities.

The week’s events are sponsored by the Landis Community Outreach Center’s Building Inclusive Communities team (BIC), Alternative School Break, and Foundation for the Awareness and Alleviation of Poverty (FAAP).

“The purpose of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is to increase awareness of hunger and homelessness-related issues occurring locally and around the world and to contribute to local organizations that address these issues,” says organizer and BIC team leader Nate Parker ’08 (Milford, N.H.), a biology major. “It will help students step outside Lafayette while learning about and addressing [these] issues.”

Students can sign up for events during lunch at Farinon College Center through Nov. 7 and Marquis Hall Nov. 6-7.

This year, students can participate in the following events:

• “Home Sweet Home” Marathon: 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10- 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 – Students can raise money for the Safe Harbor homeless shelter and Third Street Alliance for Women and Children and donate outerwear to be distributed during Midnight Run by getting their organizations involved in this event. Organizations will cover two-hour shifts in the “hut,” competing to donate the highest poundage of outerwear during their shifts. Monetary donations will also be accepted.
• Midnight Run: Saturday, Nov. 11 – Students will deliver dinner and outerwear to homeless people in Philadelphia. Volunteers can also prepare bagged meals during the day.
• Food Waste Demonstration: Tuesday, Nov. 14 in Farinon Center – Students will be able to see how much food is wasted on campus.
• FAAP Exhibition “Aftermath:” Tuesday, Nov. 14-Wednesday, Nov. 15 in Farinon Center – Examine poverty through a different medium with this art exhibition. Student artwork is welcome and encouraged.
• OxFam Hunger Banquet: 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 in the Marlo Room, Farinon Center – Students will have the opportunity to learn about world hunger through this interactive dinner.
• “Imagining Ourselves as Homeless” brownbag discussion: noon Friday, Nov. 17 in Hogg Hall – Homeless people from Safe Harbor will come and share their stories.
• Food Drive: Monday, Nov. 13- Friday, Nov. 17 – Academic departments drive to collect the most non-perishable food items. Collection containers will be in academic department offices.

According the Amber Zuber, assistant director of the Landis Center, these events have had a warm reception from the community in the past, especially the Midnight Run, which proved to be a powerful first-hand experience of the depth and breadth of hunger and homelessness in today’s society.

“I went on last year’s Midnight Run, and it was a huge success. Every person to whom we delivered was friendly and grateful,” says Zuber.

For more information, email Parker.