National Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week Events in Pennsylvania

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Center Valley

DeSales University
Event: Faces of Homelessness Speakers Bureau
Wednesday, November 14th 7:00pm

Contact: Jaime Gerhart ▪ 610.282.1100 x 1889 ▪ jaime.gerhard@desales.edu


Erie

Gannon University
Event: Faces of Homelessness Speakers Bureau
Tuesday, November 13th 6:00pm

"Not Just in Our Backyard: Stories of Homelessness Around the World"
A joint program with the International Student Office, where domestic and international students will discuss homelessness issues in their home countries and the dignity of all human people.
Tuesday, November 13th

Advocating via email and letters for SNAP benefits and just international food policies to be included in the Farm Bill
Wednesday, November 14th

Displaying decorated Thanksgiving food baskets on campus and collecting money for Second Harvest Food Bank via "Penny Wars," as people vote for their favorite baskets
Thursday, November 15th – Friday, November 16th

Delivery of culturally appropriate Thanksgiving food baskets to recently settled refugees families in Erie. In partnership with Catholic Charities of Erie
Saturday, November 17th

Contact: Jessie Hubert ▪ 814-781-5602 ▪ badach004@gannon.edu


Lancaster

Lancaster County Coalition to End Homelessness
Event: National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Benefit Concert

Contact: Felicia Chalfant ▪ 717.209.3382 ▪ FChalfant@co.lancaster.pa.us


Lebanon

Lebanon County Coalition to End Homelessness
Event:   Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week Proclamation
Local dignitaries will declare the upcoming week H & H Awareness week
Friday, November 9th

Homeless Veterans Awareness: VFW Post 23 Campaign
Sleep out on the streets
Friday, November 9th – Saturday, November 10th

Movie and Homeless Banquet
Held at local theater showing "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Saturday, November 10th

Dine and Donate
At local Pizza Huts
Tuesday, November 13th

Open House, Ribbon Cutting and Tours
Of new Homeless Resource Center Lebanon HOPES that opened October 1
Friday, November 16th

Contact: Monica Boyer ▪ 717.274.3415 ▪ mboyer@lebcnty.org

Philadelphia

Depaul USA
Event: Winter Warmth Drive
Collection of canned soup, hats, and gloves for homeless and formerly homeless men. The canned soup will be distributed to residents as they move into their own housing and to current residents for lunch while they are working. Hats and gloves will be distributed to residents who arrive at Depaul House without them this winter

Equal Dollars Community Currency
Event: Thanksgiving Donation 
During National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Equal Dollars Community Currency will provide boxes of food for families in need during the Thanksgiving holiday. Members can sponsor a box of food for a family by making a small contribution in our community currency
Monday, November, 12th  

Contact: Mike Beitcher ▪ 215.951.0300 ext:3255 ▪ mike.beitcher@rhd.org

Grace United Methodist Church
Event: Candle Light Service
7101 North 20th Street Philadelphia, PA 19138

Contact: Franklin Lockwood ▪ 215.927.2945   ▪ tallmanwonderful@verizon.net


Kids Serving Kids
Event: Food, Toiletry, and Clothes Collection

Contact: Joyce Nottage ▪ 215.751.9300 ▪ nottagemlk@aol.com

Villanova University
Event: Faces of Homelessness Speakers Bureau
Thursday, November 15th 4:30pm

Thanksgiving Dinners
Donate Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner to enable a low-income family in a project H.O.M.E. or North Light Community Center neighborhoods to have a hearty holiday meal!
Friday, November 16th

Contacts: Erin Weaver ▪ eweave03@villanova.edu
               Will Stehl ▪ william.stehl@villanova.edu


Pittsburgh   

Will Allen Foundation – Quest
Event: The Quest Students of North Hills High School (Quest is an after-school program
through the Will Allen Foundation - Will Allen is a defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers) are holding a campaign from November 12th -16th  at their school

A clothing and non-perishable food drive throughout the week which will support Light of Life Mission (www.lightoflife.org) and North Hills Community Outreach (www.nhco.org).  The students will be collecting items during home room and at lunch

Morning Announcements at North Hills Senior High School
Informational announcements will be given each day regarding homeless & hunger statistics in the United States and locally in Pittsburgh

Posters and Flyers
Informative posters regarding homeless & hunger stats will be hung in various areas around the school and passed out to students, faculty and staff

Public Service Announcement
One student utilized his video class to create a PSA regarding National Hunger & Homelessness, which will be shown during morning announcements on Friday.  It is a 2 minute video

The students chose the color green to symbolize this awareness week and are asking peers, faculty, and staff to wear green on Friday to conclude the campaign

Sharon

Mercer County Housing Coalition
Event: 5th Annual Walk a Mile in Their Shoes
Hermitage Light up Night Parade
National Speaker
Homeless T-shirt Sale
Elementary Coloring Contest
Movie Night of “Blind Side"

Contact: Natalie Higbee ▪ 724.346.5777


Somerset

Roof Over Our Families (ROOF)
Event:   The Progressive Dinner
This is a fundraising dinner for the Next Step Center.  Tickets can be purchased at the Chamber. The participants will visit Green Gables, Lamonica’s, Coal Miner’s Café and back to Green Gables for the conclusion of the culinary tour!
Monday, November 12th  

ROOF Reads!
Members of the ROOF committee will read to numerous classrooms across Somerset County.  The book, The Berenstain Bears Help the Homeless, illustrates how everyone, young and old, can help others who are less fortunate.
Tuesday, November 13th

Poverty Simulation
Wednesday, November 14th

The EARN Employment & Training Program will be preparing to assist with the soup kitchen that will be offered during the Cardboard City to those participants Thursday, November 15th 

 Cardboard City 
JMS Recycling and Sears donating all the boxes. JMS will pick up and recycle all the materials after it is over. With a great support from schools, students from various high schools are signing-up and Danielle Wismer-Bowers and her workers are holding a Soup Kitchen for the people that are participating in the cardboard box city. They will give the participants free soup and then after an hour make them go back outside into the cold.  
Friday, November 16th St. Paul’s UCC in Somerset

Homeless Panel Discussion
North Star High School is hosting the panel with former homeless individuals, the school district’s homeless liaison, and a young adult who experienced homelessness, speaking about their life experience. Some of the other schools in the county are having “hygiene and food drives” to collect items for homeless people

Taylor

United Churches of Taylor
Event: 3rd Annual Triboro Food Pantry Fundraiser
United Churches of Taylor will have a bake sale and raise money for the Triboro Food Pantry in their area. Volunteers will bake and sale food made from scratch. All proceeds from the sale go to the pantry
Saturday, November 10th

Washington & Jefferson College
Event: Food Drive
Community will be collecting food to be donated to the Washington County Food
Bank at college events throughout the week

Poverty Simulation
A Poverty Simulation and dialogue facilitated by local nonprofit, Community Action Southwest
Monday, November 19th

Contact: Justin Dandoy ▪ 724.503.1001 ▪ jdandoy@washjeff.edu

West Chester

West Chester University
Event: Clothing Drive
Students from Keeping Communities Warm (KCW) will collect winter-outerwear for local shelters to learn more email devon.kcw@gmail.com

WCU Sleep Out
Students, faculty, and staff will pledge to sleep outside. Sponsors will pledge to donate an item or dollar amount for each hour they sleep out. All donations will be given to Chester County agencies that support Hunger and Homelessness
November 16th 6:00pm-6:00am

Contact: Dawna Jones ▪ 610.436.2182 ▪ djones@wcupa.edu


Wilkes-Barre
           
Ruth's Place House of Hope Homeless Shelter for Women
Event:Ruth’s Place 5th Annual Walk-A-Thon
“A Mile in Her Shoes”
A rally and walk-a-thon to educate the public about the plight of the homeless that will go past the many agencies and sites that the homeless must visit everyday to survive
About Ruth’s Place:
Many people think of a shelter as a place where homeless people go to get a bed and a meal, but so much more is needed to break the cycle of homelessness. Ruth’s Place: House of Hope in Wilkes-Barre puts homeless women’s lives on a new path.
Homeless women are frequently the victims of violence and abuse; they may suffer from severe mental illness or addictions; and they are vulnerable to exploitation every day they are on the street. They need a supportive, caring environment that acknowledges the depth of their trauma. More importantly, they need assistance and counseling that addresses the root causes of their homelessness. We invite you to be a part of this vision and end homelessness in Luzerne County.
Since 2003, Ruth’s Place has provided shelter to 1,515 women. In the past year we have helped place 83 women into permanent housing—where they have remained. But despite these successes government support for homeless services has dwindled dramatically. We need your help to assist these women.
For more information and to download pledge forms and releases, please visit:  www.ruthsplace.com.
Sunday, November 4th 1:00-3:00 pm Wilkes-Barre Public Square

Contact: Nickie Pimental ▪ 570.822.6817 ▪ benitched@gmail.com