With the giving season right around the corner, Sonoma State University is giving back to the community during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week on campus Nov. 7-9.
"Many people in our own local community struggle with hunger or lack of housing," says Casey Elbert, a leader of campus community service organization Join Us Making Progress (JUMP), which is organizing this event. "Raising awareness of hunger and homelessness helps get students out in the community to help."
Throughout the week, donation bins will be present on the first floor of the Student Center. Members of the campus community can donate from the list of supplies JUMP has provided.
The unique banquet on Nov. 7 is designed to show SSU students the difference between a Third World and a First World dining experience.
"There are more hungry people in the world than the populations of the United States, Canada, and the European Union combined," says Elbert.
On Nov. 6, 4-8 p.m., students will be volunteering with the Redwood Empire Food Bank and the Samuel L. Jones Hall shelter in Santa Rosa.
A blanket-making event closes out the week in the Student Center Ballrooms on Nov. 9. The blankets, made on campus by students, will be donated to shelters in Sonoma County for the winter season. A special viewing of the film, "The Pursuit of Happyness," will be a part of the blanket-making session. For more information, email jump.humanservices@sonoma.edu.