Sample Week

A major component of scheduling for Awareness Week is to begin with “kick-off” events and work up to the larger events, even if you have only a couple of activities planned for the week.  Planning your community’s Awareness Week in this manner allows residents in your community to increase their involvement as the week progresses.  By doing this, you should have greater participation for your larger events.

Below is an outline of a possible National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.  This sample has been compiled from campuses and communities that have previously held an Awareness Week.  Your organization should determine how many and which events will be the most appropriate for your community.  In this sample, you might find an event that particularly interests your group.  Remember, if you are new to planning a week for hunger and homelessness awareness, one or two focused events will be more effective than five or six marginally organized events.

Weekend
Hold a “Homelessness Saturday or Sunday.”  Have religious institutions such as churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques focus their religious services on homelessness/poverty issues. 

Monday
Have a kick-off event to start a money-raising or canned food/blanket drive competition.

Tuesday
Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Panel

Wednesday
“One Night Without a Home” Awareness Sleep Out

Thursday
Oxfam America’s Hunger Banquet and/or Fast for a World Harvest

Friday
1. Think Globally, Act Locally- Washington, D.C. isn’t the only place that lobbying is possible!  Gather a group of students and homeless/formerly homeless individuals and visit your city hall, county commission, state legislature and/or a local office of your Congressional representative or Senator.  Focus on educating your audience on homelessness issues and what ideas you have to better the situation.  Lobbying doesn’t have to have a negative connotation, think about what you are doing as merely an educational, hopeful conversation.

2. End-of-the-week benefit festival.  Have local musicians, canned food for admission, donation collection, and information on how people can continue to be involved in hunger and homelessness issues. 

Saturday
Organize a group to work at various community service sites as part of Community Service Day.  Throughout the week, have sign-up sheets available.

Saturday/Sunday
Set up a Homeless Challenge Project, see below for details.
Throughout the Awareness Week and during the preceding week, information booths to distribute fact sheets and to promote the Awareness Week are very important.

Remember!

During National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, as community members begin to really think about hunger and homelessness issues, it is crucial that you provide information on how they can take action after Awareness Week has concluded.  Provide them with the following information and any other material that you believe is important for your own community.

• The name, address, email, and phone number of a local shelter at which they can volunteer.

• The names, addresses and phone numbers of local, state, and national coalitions and advocacy groups which they can join.  Contact the national organizations listed at the end of this packet to be referred to their local affiliates.

• Information about writing Members of Congress.

• Information about Alternative Breaks, which allow community members to spend a weeklong break doing service.  Call BreakAway at (800) 903-0646 for more information.

Wrap-Up

When National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week has concluded, there will still be a few loose ends that you will need to tie up.  First, remember to send thank you letters to all of your contacts and your support network.  You or other Awareness Week organizers will probably refer to these same people in the future.  Also, meet with your team to discuss what went right and what went wrong during Awareness Week.  Make sure everyone evaluates their own project, as well as how they viewed Awareness Week as a whole.  Gather these individual and group evaluations to comprise a resource folder—one that you and other groups will be able to refer to in following years.  This resource will allow you to have a foundation upon which to build your future Awareness Weeks.  Finally, contact the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness and let them know how your Awareness Week was received by the community — send us newspaper clippings, posters, commentary and other news!  Have fun!