Volunteer Center to help homeless

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CMU’s Volunteer Center has two goals this week: to create consciousness about homelessness around campus and to motivate the community to make an impact on poverty.

It aims to do that with the third annual Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

“Don’t think that homelessness isn’t a problem in Mount Pleasant because it is,” said Capt. Jenny Ortman, director of the Mount Pleasant Salvation Army.

There were 52 homeless people in Isabella County in January 2006, according to the Isabella County Continuum of Care for Homeless.

Ortman encourages students to be aware of the problem and find out how they can help.

She said in rural areas, homeless people are often invisible because they sleep on a friend’s couch or find shelter. It is not like cities where they are visible to everyone.

“Any type of awareness week is important because we do not exactly know or remember everything going on outside of this campus, so to be told or have a visual reminder is a good way to gain interest and knowledge,” said Flushing junior Jenna Frye, Volunteer Center committee co-chair.

Ortman said the Salvation Army always needs help with services and is looking for campus groups to help raise funds.

At CMU, students can participate in the “Take a Bite out of Hunger” food drive competition, which takes place throughout the week. Students can drop off non-perishable goods to any residence hall or the Volunteer Center. Donations will be sent to local soup kitchens.

The drive also acts as a competition for Registered Student Organizations and the winners will receive a pizza party, Frye said.

Hot chocolate and donuts will be passed out from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the UC today along with hunger and homelessness facts to further spread awareness, Frye said.

The week’s main event is the “Faces of Homelessness Panel” at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Bovee University Center Auditorium. The panel brings personal stories from past and present homeless people.

“The panel is from the National Coalition for the Homeless, and will bring a moderator and three homeless people to speak about their experiences,” said committee co-chair Megan Connaghan, a Kentwood senior. “The panel is meant to break down common stereotypes and to spread understanding from listening to their stories.”

The event is free, and audience members are encouraged to bring canned food donations.

The week’s final event is the Awareness Campout from midnight Thursday to midnight Friday in front of the UC .

“Members from the World Peace Initiative and other volunteers will be taking one-hour shifts in large boxes to act as a visual reminder to the campus about the homeless,” Frye said.

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