By Payton Bell

The Civic Leadership Program (CLP) brings National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week back to the Greensboro College campus through education and service. Times are tough right now, but it was heartwarming to see the GC community come together to battle hunger and homelessness. During H&H Week, CLP hosted events every day of the week to educate students about food insecurity and homelessness, with the last event of the week being an opportunity for action and service. From Nov. 17 to Nov. 21, CLP and its ambassadors took the initiative to raise public awareness regarding poverty, food insecurity and its related issues. If you participated in any of these events, you joined the powerful movement of ending hunger and homelessness in our communities.

The week started off with the Food Insecurity Gallery Lab event on Nov. 17. Designed by sophomore ambassador Arthur Colon, participants created artwork centered around hunger while learning about specific statistics related to food insecurity.

“The event was exceptional,” Colon stated. “Seeing everyone’s different artistic reflection of food insecurity was great insight on our different values. Some students showcased the social aspects of food insecurity, such as community and family. My event not only educated but also illustrated the problems and solutions of food insecurity.”

On Nov. 18, students wrote inspirational messages and statements against hunger and homelessness on small orange flags. These flags were put up right next to Pride Field as a small way to spread awareness about H&H Week. This event was a simple way for students get involved but still make an impact.

The third event was the Unhoused Myth or Fact event created by freshman ambassador Ashlie Linker. This event featured shocking statistics and common misconceptions regarding homelessness in our society, attracting attention through the use of a wheel and interactive activities.

“This event was important to me because homelessness was the reason I wanted to be civically engaged,” said Linker. “Growing up in Charlotte, I have always seen homeless individuals which made me realize how many there are and how it can affect anyone. I hope my ‘Myth or Fact’ event helped students at GC become more aware of the severity of homelessness.”

CLP’s fourth event was a tabling event called What Do You Stand For? Students wrote on a whiteboard, making a statement and telling the world why engagement is so important. This event gave students and faculty to write something that is important or valuable in their lives. This was the opportunity for people to show why everyone’s opinion and values are important in a community.

After a week of building empathy and increasing knowledge about hunger and homelessness, it is now time for direct action. For the final event, CLP hosted the iconic Pack-a-Meal event. Students received the chance to involve themselves in a relief effort by helping create 40 boxes filled with Thanksgiving meals and toiletries.

Freshman ambassador Kaylyn Pageot led this event, and she really wanted to educate the students about why civic engagement is important on top of having this opportunity to give back. Statistically, 13.5% of families struggle with food insecurities. It is more likely that families with children are forced to face hunger due to the fact that these families have to spend more on basic necessities. Students learned about the issue of hunger and homelessness and the families they would help through an interactive Plinko game.

In addition, each Pack-A-Meal box had a positive quote on the box, along with a cute illustration and a handmade letter written by students for the people receiving these meals.

“By being able to lead the Pack-A-Meal event, I have been given an opportunity to help teach my community about hunger insecurities and struggles the homeless face,” Pageot said. “Pack-A-Meal is a hands-on event allowing students to actively make an impact on these issues.”

National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is an annual initiative where people come together across the country to draw attention to the problems of hunger and homelessness. We are grateful to see Greensboro College participate in this week for another year in a row. The Collegian asked Xypher Pino, current Co-Head and founder of CLP, what this week meant to him.

“It is always a pleasure seeing the GC community come together for important initiatives such as Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. I loved seeing everyone participate in our events and spend even just a little bit of their time giving back to others. This week made me really happy because it shows that our students care – they just need to be given the appropriate opportunities.”

Pino also said, “This week was also great in terms of seeing the Civic Engagement Ambassadors grow as individuals and be more independent in their work. I am looking forward to seeing what else they can do, especially in the Spring semester!”

Hunger and homelessness remain a critical issue in today’s society. Millions of civilians suffer from a lack of basic necessities every day and the problem only worsens. Individual efforts matter – the Civic Leadership Program provided the Interactive Resource Center of Greensboro with over 1500 items during this holiday season and brought students together to help make a difference in someone’s life.

Let us remind you that every action counts! Be the reason to make a difference in someone’s life, whether that is through donation, volunteering or raising awareness. These events brought together the GC community, fostering a positive outcome in the Greensboro community and providing a learning opportunity for students to become civically engaged. By working together, we can move closer to a world where the basic necessities of food and shelter are guaranteed for everyone.