NSU Sharks Take a Bite at Hunger and Homelessness

The Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement and Alpha Phi Omega will host the second Annual National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week from Nov. 17 to Nov. 20 to raise awareness about hunger and homelessness, both globally and locally.

Aaron Hackman, assistant director of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement, said, “It’s certainly a major issue in the community that needs to be addressed. I believe that students are in a perfect place to become involved and really make a difference, they need to become more aware and rally behind that.”

To kick off the week of events, the Community Affiliate Meet and Greet will take place on Nov. 17 in the Don Taft University Center on the second floor lounge from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Representatives from local community agencies and nonprofit organizations such as Feeding South Florida, Habitat for Humanity of Broward and Hope Outreach Center, will be on-campus to meet and share with students about their roles in the community and discuss how students can get involved and make a difference.

“More student awareness, whether it’s through clubs, organizations or them doing work on their own, is something that I would really like to see from students,” said Hackman.

The Hunger Banquet will be held on Nov. 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the UC second floor lounge. This event is free and open to all students who register online at OrgSync.com or show up the day of the banquet with their SharkCard. The event is sponsored by Oxfam America, a nonprofit global organization that works on overcoming hunger and poverty in more than 90 countries around the world. Oxfam fights poverty by addressing the causes of hunger rather than distributing goods. Their goal is to help change the public’s approach towards hunger and homelessness by hosting hunger banquets at participating campuses and in communities to raise awareness.

“We don’t do fundraising at the Hunger Banquet. Providing awareness is a much bigger component and we hope that this event is a call to action for students so they can realize that there is a lot of need here in South Florida,” said Hackman.

When students arrive at the Hunger Banquet, they will sign in with their SharkCard and receive a card with an assigned character. Students are divided into upper, middle or lower class based on the economic status of the character assigned. Out of the students who attend, the 20 percent in the first upper class will be seated in a table with a table cloth, silverware and a generous, full-plated meal. The 30 percent in the middle class will be seated at a table with no tablecloth and eat a simple meal of rice and vegetables. The 50 percent in the lower class will be seated on the floor and eat a small portion of rice.

“It effectively shows how life events can impact a person and cause their life to change, whether it’s moving from a middle to upper class or vice versa,” said Hackman.

During the dinner, representatives from community affiliates will facilitate conversation as well as a guide group reflection at the tables.

On Nov. 19, the Panel for Hunger and Homelessness in Broward County will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in room 1047 of the Carl DeSantis Building. Representatives from nonprofit organizations will be invited to serve on a panel to discuss what hunger and homelessness looks like in Broward County and also to address questions from students interested in learning more about ways they can get involved.

The Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week will conclude on Nov. 20 with the screening of the movie, “Pursuit of Happyness,” starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith, in the Performance Theater located in the UC. The film tells the real-life struggle of a man and his son as they deal with homelessness. After the movie, a reflection on the movie and a discussion about action will take place.

For more information contact The Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement at slce@nova.edu or (954)262-7195.

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