Donations from districts
Students collect canned goods to raise awareness and help the homeless for the holidays
Central Michigan University's Hunger and Homelessness Games seeks to lend an edge of friendly competition to helping out the less fortunate this holiday season.
The "Hunger Games" themed charity drive involves splitting each hall on campus up into districts and collecting food and clothing donations for the local Isabella County Soup Kitchen and Women’s Aid Shelter.
Sam Strahl, a Sault Ste. Marie senior and Herrig Hall resident assistant, said she came up with the idea after seeing a similar project on the website dosomething.org, which helps people think of fun volunteering opportunities to do with the resources they already have.
“The Hunger and Homelessness Games will last from Nov. 1-21. Three districts are eliminated at the end of each week,” Strahl said. “The three districts with the lowest donations for the week are eliminated.”
While every hall on campus is not paired up within their district, most are. When a district is eliminated, they then can sponsor another district still in the running. When they continue donating, their donations go to help their sponsored district.
“For each district there is a game maker who is basically in charge of that district,” Strahl said. “Every Friday, all game makers give me a count of donations for the week. Saturdays, we pick up the donations.”
Strahl said there has been a tremendous response from the residence halls on campus. In the first week of donations, 379 donations were collected and 779 were collected in the second week.
Four districts are still in the running to be the winner: District One, Barnes and Robinson; District Two, Larzelere; District Three, Merrill and Sweeney; and District Nine, Cobb and Wheeler.
The Hunger and Homelessness Games is important, Strahl said, because it allows college students to help members of their community.
“I think needs like this often get overlooked,” she said. “This helps people realize that you can effect change with a small, simple action.”
Demetrius McCloud, a Detroit senior and District Five game maker, said he wanted to become involved because he liked the idea of the program.
“It’s all about helping others,” he said. “It’s such a great program.”
As a game maker, McCloud explained he not only encourages his residents and members of his district, but also anyone else who wants to help out.
Dearborn senior Christina Zardus helped Strahl with much of the original planning for the project.
“It helps with the community,” she said. “It gets CMU students involved in helping others. We’re obviously getting results and the program is definitely reaching students.”
Zardus said she loves being involved in the program because of the chance to help others.
“I was searching for something to be more passionate about,” she said. “For me, this is kind of the perfect combo.”
BREAK OUT BOX:
District One: of Barnes and Robinson halls.
District Two: Larzelere Hall.
District Three: Merrill and Sweeney halls.
District Four: Beddow and Thorpe halls.
District Five: Celani and Saxe halls.
District Six: Woldt and Fabiano halls.
District Seven: Herrig and Emmons halls.
District Eight: Carey and Troutman halls.
District Nine: Cobb and Wheeler halls.
District Ten: Trout and Calkins halls.
