Leslie Hitchcock, Staff Writer

The national concerns of hunger and homelessness are addressed this week, as Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) sponsors Hunger and Homelessness Week on Appalachian State University’s campus.

The week is not limited to Appalachian students, said ACT Director Peggy Setzer. Begun at Pennsylvania’s Villanova University, the National Hunger and Homelessness Week has been practiced for 10 years, she said.

The week was originally observed by one club, but was recently expanded to promote campus-wide awareness, Setzer said.

“We want to make students aware of not just how bad (hunger and homelessness) is, but how we can get out of our current situation,” she said.

Various activities will raise money and other donations for local charities and will raise awareness of hunger and homelessness.

The week began last night with a showing of the film, “El Norte,” and a poetry reading in Tradewinds Coffeehouse. “El Norte” was sponsored by Student Action with Farm Workers (SAF-ASU), said ACT representative Laura Pifer.

Tonight, a hunger banquet will be held in Calloway Peak Room in the Plemmons Student Union.  The banquet will begin at 5 p.m. and costs $5.
Participants will eat  meals according to economic rankings drawn prior to the banquet. For example, some will eat the hearty meals of a wealthy people, while others will eat the rice and water of third world citizens. Several homeless people will speak at the banquet, as will a representative from the Hospitality House and an expert in organic agriculture, Pifer said.

Students may participate in a fast tomorrow to experience a day in the life of someone hungry, said Pifer.  Wednesday, SAF-ASU also sponsors a six-speaker panel discussion on migrant farm workers’ issues.  This lecture will be held in I.G. Greer from 6-8 p.m.

A sleep-out on Sanford Mall will be held beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, Pifer said.A speaker from the Hospitality House will attend the sleep-out, as will the band Wherever It Goes and the Amani drummers, Pifer said. Preceding the sleep-out is the showing of “With Honors” in I.G. Greer from 5-7 p.m.

Ending the week is a finale at Tradewinds, where the band The Lazy Birds will perform from 7-10 p.m. There is a suggested $3 donation, said Pifer.

A donations table will be set up through Friday in the Plemmons Student Union. Students can donate money, canned goods and blankets, Pifer said.

The funds raised will be divided between the Hospitality House, Habitat for Humanity, the Hunger Coalition and Opposing Abuse with Service, Information and Shelter (OASIS, Inc.).One-fifth of all proceeds will be sent to Honduras to alleviate  starvation due to drought, Pifer said.
 

Hunger and Homelessness Week planned

Events in conjunction with Hunger and Homelessness Week, an international conscious-raising event sponsored locally by Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT), kick off Saturday on Appalachian State University’s campus. Events are as follows:

• Saturday, Nov. 15: Kickoff dance, Legends; admission $4 or donation of two canned goods or one clean blanket.

• Monday, Nov. 17: “El Norte,” I.G. Greer, 5-7 p.m.; free. Open-mike poetry reading, Tradewinds, 8-10 p.m.

• Tuesday, Nov. 18: Hunger Banquet, Calloway Peak Room (student union), 5-7 p.m.; admission $5.

• Wednesday, Nov. 19: Day of fasting; details, student union. Panel discussion, farmworker issues, I.G. Greer, 6-8 p.m.

• Thursday, Nov. 20: “With Honors,” I.G. Greer, 5-7 p.m.; free. Overnight sleepout with drumming, speakers and music, Sanford Mall, 7:15 p.m.

• Friday, Nov. 21: Finale concert featuring Lazy Bird, Tradewinds, 8-10 p.m.; admission by donation of canned goods, blankets or money to help the hungry and homeless.

• ALL WEEK: Canned goods, blankets and money collected at student union contact table.

(For more information, contact the ACT office at 262-2193, or look for a supplemental article in next Tuesday’s edition of The Appalachian.)  
 
 
 
 

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