Facing the specter of homelessness

On any given night, as many as 4,000 people in Baltimore find themselves without a place to live. Many of these individuals—and thousands more—also end the day hungry.

Each November at Loyola, the Center for Community Service and Justice sponsors a series of programs and activities designed to help members of the College Community better understand the enormous challenges faced by individuals who are homeless and hungry—and to find ways to make a difference. Tied to National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, these programs range from fundraisers to letter-writing campaigns to a dinner that brings Loyola students and men and women who are currently or formerly homeless together for food and conversation.

“Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week has a fantastic connection to the Year of the City initiative,” says MaryAnne Cappelleri, Assistant Director of Service-Faith and Poverty Concerns for C.C.S.J. Year of the City is intended to help the students and other members of the College Community to better understand the city’s history, character and challenges. “This week gives students the opportunity to meet real people who are affected daily by hunger or housing issues, learn what is being done and what still needs to be done to improve these situations, contribute personally either by volunteering or through financial donation and join in the effort to change legislation, giving a voice to people who don’t always have theirs heard.”

The week begins at noon on Friday, Nov. 3 with the Fast and Sleep Out. Over the course of 24 hours, students will abstain from food, sleep on the Quad and attend the “Faces of Homelessness” panel which will feature representatives from local organizations such as the Fredrick Ozanam House and Marian House, transitional housing facilities for men and women, and Housing First, a new initiative in the City of Baltimore that houses people who are homeless and offers supportive services.

The event also includes a housing simulation activity sponsored by Habitat for Humanity and advocacy exercise by Elizabeth Victor of Bread for the World, a national organization dedicated to ending hunger.

On Monday, Nov. 6, CCSJ begins “Brown Bag it for Beans and Bread” campaign. Throughout the week, members of the Loyola community are encouraged to pack their lunches and donate money they would have spent on food to Beans and Bread, a Fells Point outreach center. Monday also brings a lunchtime presentation where individuals can learn about issues of hunger and homelessness from representatives affiliated with Beans & Bread Outreach Center. The event takes place from noon to 2 p.m. in the 4^th Floor Program Room. 

Tuesday is Advocacy Day, during which students can stop by tables outside Boulder Gardens Café to sign letters to Congressional representatives concerning current legislation tied to the fight against homelessness.

The annual Meet & Eat dinner will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in McGuire Hall. The dinner is an opportunity for the Loyola community to meet and have conversations with members of agencies who work to end hunger and homelessness in the area, as well as with individuals who are currently or formerly homeless. While the issues at hand are serious, the event itself is a joyous experience. All members of the Loyola Community who attend the event are asked to participate in an orientation to learn about the population of people who will be on campus. 

“Although our guests may ‘appear’ very different, by the end of the evening most of the Loyola community participants attest to the joy of recognizing how much we all have in common,” says Cappelleri.

On Thursday, the College’s 5 p.m. Evensong celebration in the Alumni Memorial Chapel will feature Ashley Biggs, ’08, and her testimony on how her faith drives her desire to help in the fight against homelessness. Sunday’s 6 p.m. closing Mass will include the presentation of the proceeds from the “Brown Bag It” campaign to Beans & Bread.

For more information on any of these events, please contact MaryAnne Cappelleri at ext. 5232.