By HARLEE BOEHM
assistant news editor
Gannon University is participating in Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week through Friday. This week is a way for students to become aware of hunger and homelessness through unique experiences throughout the week.
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is a national event sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness that brings people from around the country together to draw attention to hunger and homelessness around the world.
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is run by OPEN. The organization works year-round to create this annual week-long event on campus. The events that are featured through the week are held to raise awareness of the issues of hunger and homelessness and create social change across the community.
The first event held for the week was the Oxfam Hunger Banquet. This event took place Tuesday in the Yehl Alumni Ballroom.
According to Laura Goble, director of the Center for Social Concerns, the banquet was held to allow students to gain knowledge through an interactive simulation of poverty and hunger.
The second event is Soup with Substance. This event will take place from 5-6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Yehl Alumni Ballroom.
During this event, Danny Jones of the Erie School Distract will be speaking about youth and homelessness. While the talk is taking place, attendees will have the opportunity to partake in a simple soup and bread meal in solidarity with the homeless youth.
Lydia Archinal, a leader from OPEN, said that she thinks this week of advocacy and education is necessary for the Gannon community.
“I believe that this event, and Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week in general, proves to be important because they educate individuals about domestic issues that Americans are faced with everyday,” she said. “The events set out to break barriers and change perspectives as well.”
The last event will be the delivery of the Basket of Blessings Project. Baskets will be delivered from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday in the Yehl Alumni Ballroom.
Before the delivery, students will be given the opportunity to vote for their favorite baskets Thursday and Friday in the Waldron Campus Center by participating in the Penny Wars.
After the Penny Wars event, student groups will deliver their baskets of culturally-relevant food to recently resettled refugee families within the Erie community. After the delivery, students will get the chance to reflect on their experience.
HARLEE BOEHM
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