Can you imagine sharing your bedroom with the world? This is the reality for over 300,000 individuals living in the United States.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than "326,000 people experience sheltered homelessness in the United States on a single night in 2021" (HUD Releases 2021 Annual Homeless Assessment Report Part 1) with over 7,000 unhoused individuals in the State of Tennessee (Tennessee Homelessness Statistics) according to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.
This week, Volunteer ETSU and the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement invite you to join us in recognition of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week by participating in a variety of activities designed to bring awareness to topics around hunger and homelessness and to give members of the University community an opportunity to give back.
See below for a full list of the week's activities. Activities are free and open to all members of the ETSU community.
Hugs for the Homeless
Wednesday, Nov. 16 | 5:00 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. | Ballroom A, D.P. Culp Student Center
Volunteer ETSU and the Alpha Epsilon Delta Health Pre-Professional Honor Society are inviting students to participate in their 'Hugs for the Homeless' event on Wednesday, November 16 from 5 P.M. to 6:30 P.M. in Ballroom A of the D.P. Culp Student Center. Free and open to all students, 'Hugs for the Homeless' will allow participants to aide in putting together hygiene bags and fleece blankets for use at the Johnson City Downtown Day Center. Those in attendance will also have an opportunity to hear from community leaders currently working to address homelessness in the Johnson City area.
RSVP for Hugs for the Homeless
Oxfam Hunger Banquet
Thursday, Nov. 17 | 6:30 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. | Cave, D.P. Culp Student Center
Doors Open and Registration will begin at 6:00 P.M.
Students, faculty, and staff are invited to join Volunteer ETSU for the 2022 Oxfam Hunger Banquet, an interactive experience that teaches guests about hunger and food distribution throughout the world. Through the Oxfam Hunger Banquet, members of the ETSU community will see hunger in a new way through this experiential event that brings the staggering global hunger crisis to life.
Oxfam is a global organization working to end the injustice of poverty. Oxfam helps people build better futures for themselves, hold the powerful accountable, and save lives in disasters. The Oxfam mission is to tackle the root causes of poverty and create lasting solutions.
Lead Me Home Film Screening
Friday, Nov. 18 | 5:00 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. | Forum (3rd Floor), D.P. Culp Student Center
500,000 Americans experience homelessness every night. Lead Me Home is a documentary
short by Jon Shenk and Pedro Kos that captures the experience from multiple perspectives.
This immersive, cinematic film personalizes the overwhelming issue by telling the
real-life stories of those going through it as a first step toward challenging uninformed
attitudes and outmoded policies and gives the audience a rare, in-depth look at the
scale, scope and diversity of unsheltered America today.
Watch the Trailer for 'Lead Me Home'
Service Saturday
Saturday, Nov. 19 | 8:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. | Various Community Non-Profits
Volunteer ETSU invites you to serve alongside other students in their November Service Saturday event around hunger and homelessness. Service Saturdays are offered monthly throughout
the academic year to offer students an opportunity to serve community organizations
that are tackling some of our region's most pressing social issues. On Saturday, November
19, participants will have an opportunity to serve with one of this month's community
partners including:
- Johnson City Downtown Day Center
- Johnson City Health Center
- Bucky's Food Pantry
- Ronald McDonald House
Participation in Service Saturdays are open to all ETSU students, but you must pre-register
to participate.
Register for Service Saturday - Nov. 19, 2022
For questions, inquiries, or additional information regarding Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week or its programs, please reach us at serve@etsu.edu.