By Matthew Thornbury
It’s in this season of celebration and togetherness that we turn our attention to those less fortunate than us. On Nov. 18, students gathered in the Ida Belle Young Library Tower to learn about the adversity faced by those in our area who are homeless or food insecure.
The Student Government Association and the Transfer Student Association organized AUM’s Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Program, which took place during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, traditionally held the week before Thanksgiving. The program welcomed guest speaker La’Rontae Skipper, an Americorps VISTA member who works with the Mid-Alabama Coalition for the Homeless, before screening “The Pursuit of Happyness” starring Will Smith. Students who attended the event had the opportunity to play the game “Spent,” a so-called “poverty simulator.”
“Our main mission is to be a vehicle to secure HUD funding from the government.” Skipper said. “Annually, we receive about $2.3 million to help fund several shelters in our coalition. We have about 900 homeless people here in the River Region staying inside shelters and on the streets of Montgomery.”
Skipper, an AUM alumnus and event planner with MACH, said that this year’s blanket drive has been a success. “I’ve already got enough blankets to give one blanket to each homeless person in Montgomery,” he said. However, MACH is in need of more supplies, and Skipper urged anyone who can to donate or volunteer.
Serena McCovery, project manager for the Office of Orientation and Transitions, which funded the program, said that she thinks it helped students understand that homelessness can affect anyone. Although the week is coming to a close, donations of new and gently used clothing, as well as personal hygiene items, will be collected in 308 Taylor Center until the end of the semester. If students would like to make an impact in their community after the program has ended, McCovery has a suggestion.
“We have a Non-profit Leadership Alliance here on campus,” she said. “They help people throughout the community beyond MACH, in conjunction with River Region United Way, and they have ongoing service projects, so please get involved on campus with the Non-profit Leadership Alliance.”