Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week
Amy Bauer
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: News
In addition to the Hunger Banquet, the week also featured two other events, "A Conversation with Liz McCartney," which occurred on Mon., Nov. 16, and the "Faces of Homelessness Panel" which took place on Tues., Nov. 17. Liz McCartney was featured as CNN's "Hero of the Year" for her work with victims of Hurricane Katrina. She co-founded the St. Bernard Project to help rebuild the homes and the lives of those who lost everything in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Hillel, a co-sponsor of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, will be co-sponsoring the Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans with the St. Bernard Project. The lecture was featured as part of the Center for Ethics year-long series "Ethics of Space - Power of Place."
"The Faces of Homelessness Panel" was a moving experience that featured a panel comprised of individuals who have been or are homeless. They work to educate the public about homelessness and what can be done to bring about an end to it. The personal experiences of those on the panel provided a living face to the statistics, and a more intimate understanding of just what life is like when one does not have a home to return to. Students who attended this event said that this type of awareness education resonates deeply because they were able to see the person behind the facts. The speakers strive to end stereotypes and connect with the rest of society to inspire them to work together to end poverty and homelessness. The speakers discussed how homelessness can happen to anyone, and it is not laziness that makes people homeless. It is actually due to a lack of affordable housing and health care, domestic violence, fair wages, mental illness, or just one bad decision.
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness should inspire many more to join the fight to make hunger and homelessness a thing of the past. The week was made possible by S.H.A.R.E., Oxfam, Hillel, Multicultural Life, the Student Life Office, the Office of Community Service and Civic Engagement, the Sociology Department, and the Political Science Department.
Hillel, a co-sponsor of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, will be co-sponsoring the Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans with the St. Bernard Project. The lecture was featured as part of the Center for Ethics year-long series "Ethics of Space - Power of Place."
"The Faces of Homelessness Panel" was a moving experience that featured a panel comprised of individuals who have been or are homeless. They work to educate the public about homelessness and what can be done to bring about an end to it. The personal experiences of those on the panel provided a living face to the statistics, and a more intimate understanding of just what life is like when one does not have a home to return to. Students who attended this event said that this type of awareness education resonates deeply because they were able to see the person behind the facts. The speakers strive to end stereotypes and connect with the rest of society to inspire them to work together to end poverty and homelessness. The speakers discussed how homelessness can happen to anyone, and it is not laziness that makes people homeless. It is actually due to a lack of affordable housing and health care, domestic violence, fair wages, mental illness, or just one bad decision.
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness should inspire many more to join the fight to make hunger and homelessness a thing of the past. The week was made possible by S.H.A.R.E., Oxfam, Hillel, Multicultural Life, the Student Life Office, the Office of Community Service and Civic Engagement, the Sociology Department, and the Political Science Department.