Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

Please view the slideshow above to see why Wellness Center and its UIC partners are supporting Chicago’s homeless.

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week is an opportunity for organizations all over the country to come together to support those experiencing hunger or homelessness. During this annual program, people across the country draw attention to the problems of poverty by participating in or hosting a series of education, service, fundraising, and advocacy events. Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is co-sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness. The event originated at Villanova University in 1975 and now takes place each year in hundreds of communities across the country.

Why is this important?

Every person deserves food on their plate and a roof over their head. Unfortunately, far too many people in Chicago experience hunger and homelessness:

• The poverty rate in Chicago is 16.4%
• The poverty rate among children in Chicago is 22.9%
• Here in Illinois, an estimated 6,933 people are homeless on any given night.

For information on other cities’ Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week events, visit http://hhweek.org.

1. Protein/granola food drive* (*please consider donating nut-free options to protect those with nut allergies). Protein is a key macronutrient required for the growth of cells, cartilage, muscle mass, and skin and is used to rebuild and repair tissue. Having access to an adequate supply of this key nutrient can be difficult for homeless individuals. The goal of this drive is to help make this access a little easier.
2. Gently used or new hats, scarves, and gloves drive* (*waterproof items or items made from 100% polyester preferred). We want to aid this population in wearing gear that protects or mitigates the risk of frostbite and other physical illnesses as the weather gets colder. According to a 2013 PubMed article by Cusak, people experiencing homelessness suffer more during cold, wet winters than in extremely hot weather. Likewise, people experiencing homelessness are also more susceptible to feelings of depression or other mental health concerns during cold winters. Hence, by supporting them during times of high stress, we can hopefully offer some relief.

If you are interested in donating, please see the drop-off location list below.

Please note, if you are interested or have questions, please reach out to the Wellness Center, by sending an email to wellnesscenter@uic.edu.

Your Role:

If you are interested in supporting these efforts, here are some ideas on how you can join us:

1. Donate granola or gently used or new scarves, gloves, and hats to a drop-off box near you. View the list of drop box locations below.
2. Initiate a campaign where your student organization or department staff gathers or collects winter gear (new or gently used scarves, gloves, hats) or granola/sports protein bars.
   • Collect items between Tuesday, November 1st through Monday, November 14th.
   • If you agree to collect items, please designate a liaison person who will be responsible for your unit’s collection. This individual will be responsible for contacting the Wellness team when the donation box is full.

Your donations will be disseminated to homeless veterans, youth, and individuals at shelters near UIC.

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

Hosted by: Wellness Center

In partnership and support from the:

• African American Cultural Center
• Campus Recreation
• College of Applied Health Sciences
• Commuter and Off-Campus Life
• Counseling Center
• Dialogue Initiative and Diversity Education
• Disability Cultural Center
• Fraternity and Sorority Life
• Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity  Inc.
• LAS Careers
• New Student and Family Programs
• Office for Advising Development (OAD)
• Office of the Dean of Students
• Public Health Student Association
• Religious Workers Association
• ROTC
• Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority Inc.
• Student Nutrition Association
• Student Veteran Affairs
• UIC Police
• Undergraduate Student Government