During National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week from November 9-15, Hastings College students will host several activities to address hunger and homelessness in Hastings and the world. All events are free and open to the public.
Additionally, students and local churches are collecting hats, gloves, scarves and coats for the 62 families in the Hastings area currently served by the Food 4 Thought Program. Collection boxes are in local churches and on the HC Campus in the Perkins Library (705 E. 7th Street), the Morrison-Reeves Science Center (717 Ash Street), and Hazelrigg Student Union (HSU) (705 E. 9th Street). If you have items to donate but cannot access a collection box, please call Jean Heriot, Director of Service Learning, at 402-461-7770 to schedule a pick up.
Schedule of Events
Friday, November 9, 2012
From 11:00 am-7:00 pm, join students as they pack 50,000 meals for Kids Against Hunger of Hastings (KAH) in Rooms A and B of Hazelrigg Student Union (705 E. E. 9th Street). Contributions to make this event possible have come from HC Does Weekends, an HC Imagine Grant, and funds from the Service Learning Program as well as a donation from Kids Against Hunger of Hastings.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
From 6-9:30 pm in the Barrett Alumni Center (1001 N. 6th Avenue), students will make 1,600 sandwiches for the Open Table, a local organization feeding the hungry with no questions asked. Sodexo, Hastings College’s food service provider, is donating meat, bread and peanut butter for the sandwiches. Additional food will be donated by Old Home Bakery, Russ’s Market, Catholic Social Services and Walmart.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
During HC’s weekly Chapel service at 10 am in French Memorial Chapel (800 N. Turner Avenue), Father James Benton from Catholic Social Services will speak about the Christian values that call all to provide for those in need and to offer hospitality for strangers.
From 11:30 am-1 pm that day at the HSU concourse, students and the community will pack additional sack lunches. Food items for this event were provided from the Hastings College Student Association.
At 7:30 pm on Wednesday, November 14, watch the Hastings-area premiere of “The Line.” The 40 minute documentary follows four families as they either try to stay above the poverty line or work to get above the poverty line. The stories are powerful and told from the perspective of Christians who work to help themselves and others. Wednesday night church groups and/or mission groups are welcome.
From 9 pm on Wednesday, November 14 through 2 am on Thursday, November 15, students will conclude the week with Hunger and Homelessness 101. Speakers from Crossroads Rescue Mission, the YWCA, and SASA (Spouse Abuse, Sexual Assault) will address local hunger and homelessness issues as well as provide educational material about the prevalence of poverty and hunger in the United States and across the world. Several documentaries about hunger and homelessness will be shown as well at the event, to be held in the foyer of Kiewit Physical Education Building (715 E. 7th Street).
Note to Media: For more information on any of these events, contact student leaders Rubea Stouppe at rstouppe@hastings.edu or Elyse Applegate at eappelgate@hastings.edu or Jean Heriot, Director of Service Learning at jheriot@hastings.edu or 402-461-7770.
