This year, the annual Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Campaign is taking on a new face. Instead of the usual two-week long campaign, students will be treated to only a week of programs and education focused on international and national hunger issues.
The campaign is led by Maureen Cooper, a senior elementary education/special education major, and Joanne Ruddy, a sophomore education major, with Laura Gorgol, the campus minister, as their adviser. They are working with a group of about 15 students to develop, plan, and coordinate the activities for this week.
Gorgol said that they changed the format of the campaign this year, “to reflect the goals of the Campaign to promote education, reflection, service, and solidarity surrounding the issues of hunger and homelessness in America and our world.”
Cooper feels that “the changes made to the campaign this year will be a success both attendance wise and fundraising wise. I feel that the members on my team have contributed greatly to making this year’s events an even greater success.”
The activities are an informational kick-off on Oct. 31, a Hunger Banquet on Nov. 1, a sleepout on the Commons on Nov. 2, and a “Lost”-themed fundraiser on Nov. 3. The money raised from this campaign will go towards purchasing Thanksgiving dinners that will be donated to local families. On Nov. 22, all are welcome to help deliver the turkey dinners and participate in crafts and activities with the children of the families who are receiving the dinners.
The Hunger Banquet is an educational dinner that puts students in the position of either wealthy, middle class, or poor and then they are served a dinner that is appropriate to their position. Participants are able to visibly see the divide in the classes and the extravagance that some experience when others have nothing at all. Also, at the banquet, Dr. Kathleen McKinley, professor of sociology, will speak on issues of homelessness and poverty in the United States from a sociological point of view.
Another educational event during this campaign is the sleepout that will take place on the Commons by the Peace Pole. Anyone who wishes to participate will spend the night outside, sleeping in solidarity with the homeless around the world. The goal of this is for people to see what it is like for those who do not have a warm place to sleep at night.
Cooper said, “I am most
