From Nov. 17th to the 23rd, Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week took place. Although the month seems like a straightforward approach to offering food and help with shelter, the Queens College community has given this week a new meaning. Starting from the 18th to the 21st, the QC community offered a wide range of activities to the students and local community in efforts to combat hunger and homelessness this harvest season.
According to the Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week informational site, 44 million Americans are at risk of suffering from hunger, and 580,000 Americans are homeless on a standard night. The worldwide statistics are even more grim with 765 million people not having enough food to eat, and 65.3 million refugees have found themselves driven out of their homes. Closer to home, these figures are concerning for the community, especially in times where job instability, mental health, and physical health are all factors to take in. Initially, Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (HHAW) was held at Villanova University in 1975. The movement is sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger.
The community at QC, with the collaboration of the QC Knights Table and The Office of Student Development and Leadership (OSDL), came together to host events that not only helped the community but informed them about how they can get help.
Some of the events included the turkey/chicken raffle and Fresh Food Bag initiative during free hour on the 18th, the Knights Table Bingo, which gave students the chance to win a $25 Stop and Shop gift card and parcel of food, the Knights Giving Room on the 20th, the SNAP program information session with SNAP representatives, and the grand finale of the QC Care Days with the Pomonok Community Center on the 21st.
Arianna Livreri, the associate director of Civic Engagement and the Knights Table Food Pantry, Office of Student Development and Leadership explained the importance of having such a movement on campus by mentioning its impact. She told The Knight News:
“The Office for Student Development and Leadership (OSDL) and the Knights Table are proud to have hosted an HHAW event on the Queens College campus for the past three years. It is important to spread awareness to our community about the difference between hunger and homelessness while learning how we can help.”
Livreri, a firm believer in the power of togetherness and teamwork, emphasized that this movement helps to draw attention to the challenges that come with hunger and homelessness while helping people learn about ways they can give back to their local communities.
“The main agenda focuses on a series of educational, service, fundraising, and advocacy events,” Livreri said. This was proven to be true as students were tasked with engaging in various service events in the span of the week, this included food distributions, and other outlets of educating the community.
Livreri highlighted that students partook in a wide array of events, “whether it was helping to hand out 80 food bags, sorting through the clothing items at the Giving Room or educating their peers on coping mechanisms related to stress caused by the holiday season.”
In the process, staff and faculty had a chance to aid in the week’s events, coming together to donate and support the students at the Giving Room as over 900 items were collected that day. The Giving Room’s donations were not just given to the QC community, but a helping hand was extended to other communities as well.
Livreri said, “Items that were better suited for members of the local community were donated to the Pomonok Community Center, our QC Care Days partner.” Livreri summed up her points by adding that anyone can help whether it was through donations to simply volunteering at a local soup kitchen or the Pomonok Community Center.
She added, “OSDL and the Knights Table care about our students and their families, throughout the year we continue to provide programs to support them. Another Giving Room is held in March during Knights Give Back month, the fresh food bag program will continue back in March where students can get eggs, bread, and veggies for free, and OSDL provides educational programs related to mental health resources.”
The common goal of working towards showing humanity and love to people all around was emphasized, something the Queens College community prided itself during this time!
If you would like to check out the resources provided by Arianna Livreri these are the following: 311 Homelessness Assistance, Housing and Homelessness Prevention, Queens Community Resources.
