Raising Voices, Building Change

Last month was Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week!

Today, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the incredible efforts made nationwide to shed light on these critical issues. From community events and educational workshops to advocacy campaigns and food and clothing drives, people across the country came together to make a difference. This week demonstrated the power of collective action and compassion, reminding us that we all have a role to play in addressing hunger and housing insecurity. As we move forward, let us carry the momentum from the week into the months and year ahead, continuing to work toward a future where everyone has a place to call home and enough to eat.

Across the country, hundreds of schools, student groups, community organizations, charities, and businesses participated. In total, an estimated 26,000 people participated in the week, and we reached 3.2 million people with our #hhweek hashtag!!

For decades, the Student PIRGs National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness has co-sponsored Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week with our partners at the National Coalition for the Homeless. Read on for some highlights from the week.

Amherst, MA | MASSPIRG Students
MASSPIRG at UMass Amherst’s Hunger-Free Campus Campaign held a Food Security and Basic Needs Resource Fair with the Food Bank of Western MA and other campus organizations, and hosted a good drive with Habitat For Humanity, collecting a total of 735 pounds of food for the Amherst Survival Center!

Berkeley, CA | CALPIRG at UC Berkeley
CALPIRG at UC Berkeley held a fundraiser with Feel Good to sell grilled cheese sandwiches on campus to benefit The Hunger Project. The chapter also collected student surveys on food systems on campus to help better understand student hunger,, and held canned food drives on campus and at a local grocery center to support the basic needs center on campus.

Boston, MA | MASSPIRG Students
Nearly 30 students and advocates turned out for MASSPIRG’s roundtable discussion with Massachusetts Department of Higher Education commissioner Noe Ortega and advocacy day for the Hunger Free Campus Initiative. Students met with and dropped off information at the offices of over 100 elected officials to advance the cause to increase funding for the Hunger Free Campus Initiative! The event was co-hosted by the MA Hunger Free Campus Coalition.

Canoga Park, CA | N.E.W. Academy Canoga Park
N.E.W. Academy in Canoga Park, CA hosted a very successful food and toy drive. They collected donations in a large washing machine box in their office and it got completely filled up, with more items being placed on the side! The week before their Fall Break, they created gift baskets for students in the Foster & Homeless Youth Program with the donations.

Chapel Hill, NC | NCPIRG Campus Action
NCPIRG’s Hunger and Homelessness campaign at UNC Chapel Hill held a documentary screening of “Keep It Moving: How We Find Hope” a short educational film created by the club’s core members. It features the experiences of real people utilizing the local Durham Rescue Mission, a local homeless shelter and food bank, and how they maintain hope from day to day. Members from NCPIRG’s Hunger & Homelessness campaign also held a Winter Blanket and Clothing Drive pick-up in neighborhoods near campus.

Chattanooga, TN | Chattanooga State Community College
Chattanooga State Community College had 300 people participate in their Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. They made hundreds of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the ChattState Volleyball Team, held a Basic Needs Resource Fair and clothing swap, a panel discussion and luncheon, a financial wellness workshop for students, and more!

Detroit, MI | NW Detroit Blessing Boxes
NW Detroit Blessing Boxes is an organization in Detroit, MI that is open 7 days a week and is a resource for many homeless people. For Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, NW Detroit Blessing Boxes served 75 individuals with food from their blessing boxes.

Grambling, LA | Lincoln Preparatory School
Lincoln Preparatory School held a community parking lot clothing sale where more than 50 people donated clothing and volunteered. They used the proceeds to fund gift cards for homeless students. They also recruited more than 300 students and parents to participate in a 12 Day of Food challenge to collect food for the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana.

Guilford, NC | Guilford County Department of Health and Human Services Administration – Continuum of Care

The Guilford County Continuum of Care coordinated with multiple agencies within the community to attend and host events such as a week long food drive, two community outreach events for those experiencing homelessness, an expo to share resources and spread awareness, a free movie night coupled with a community discussion surrounding homelessness, and a Youth Homelessness 101 Training. Their work was covered by three media outlets, including the Rhino Times.

Hartford, CT | Dungeons of Hope
Dungeons of Hope organized a tournament playing a table top game called HeroQuest where each player fundraises. In total, the organization raised $6,000 for the South Park Inn Homeless Shelter!

Ithaca, NY | Homelessness Action Project at Cornell University
Students at Cornell University created care packages with a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, bandaids, and alcohol pads in a drawstring bag that were delivered to St. John’s Community Service’s new sober living facility, Serenity House, which is transitional housing that is designed to help people transition from homelessness to permanent housing while also recovering from addiction

Nashville, TE | Metro Nashville Social Services
Metro Nashville Social Services capped off Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week with a food distribution event where they gave out 500 food bags and turkeys! Some of them went to their partners at Southern Alliance for People and Animal Welfare (SAFPAW) Nashville to support unhoused neighbors and their pets.

New Brunswick, NJ | NJPIRG Students
NJPIRG at Rutgers New Brunswick held a full week of events, including volunteering at a Rutgers community farm, tabling with The Office of Student Basic Needs to educate students food insecurity about food assistance programs they may be eligible for, and a clothing drive that collected 700 articles of clothing for those in need.

If you or your organization participated in Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, THANK YOU! If you’re inspired to get involved in next year’s week of action, please visit our website at hhweek.org.

Onward,

Dan Xie
National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week
Student PIRGs

*About The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness*
The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness is committed to ending hunger and homelessness by educating, engaging, and training college students to directly meet individuals’ immediate needs while advocating for long-term systemic solutions. NSCAHH has engaged tens of thousands of students, developed long-term projects such as food salvage programs and food pantries, raised millions of dollars for anti-poverty charities, and equipped young people with the skills to become effective organizers and advocates. NSCAHH is a project of the Student PIRGs.

About The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness

The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness is committed to ending hunger and homelessness by educating, engaging, and training college students to directly meet individuals’ immediate needs while advocating for long-term systemic solutions.
NSCAHH has engaged tens of thousands of students, developed long-term projects such as food salvage programs and food pantries, raised millions of dollars for anti-poverty charities, and equipped young people with the skills to become effective organizers and advocates. NSCAHH is a project of the Student PIRGs.

*About the Student PIRGs*
Students have the power to shape the future we will inherit. The Student PIRGs work with professional staff at colleges and universities to make sure our peers have the skills, opportunities and training they need to create a better, more sustainable future for all of us. Our chapters and clubs on nearly 100 campuses in 25 states provide the training, professional support and resources students need to tackle climate change, protect public health, revitalize our democracy, feed the hungry and more. For nearly 50 years we’ve helped students to get organized, mobilized and energized so they can continue to be on the cutting edge of positive change. Since 1985, the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness has been committed to ending hunger and homelessness at the local, national, and international level. We educate, engage, and train college students to directly meet individuals’ immediate needs while also advocating for long-term systemic solutions. We are a project of the student Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs).

About the Student PIRGs

Students have the power to shape the future we will inherit. The Student PIRGs work with professional staff at colleges and universities to make sure our peers have the skills, opportunities and training they need to create a better, more sustainable future for all of us. Our chapters and clubs on nearly 100 campuses in 25 states provide the training, professional support and resources students need to tackle climate change, protect public health, revitalize our democracy, feed the hungry and more. For nearly 50 years we’ve helped students to get organized, mobilized and energized so they can continue to be on the cutting edge of positive change.

Since 1985, the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness has been committed to ending hunger and homelessness at the local, national, and international level. We educate, engage, and train college students to directly meet individuals’ immediate needs while also advocating for long-term systemic solutions. We are a project of the student Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs).