National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week 11/14-11/20

This week is National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.  This week of recognition is a great time to raise awareness as well as collect resources and rally the community around these important causes.  Please take a moment to educate yourself about these issues and ponder how they affect our community.

The Issues:

• Eastern Massachusetts is especially vulnerable to hunger.  That's because most of the food in our country moves west to east.  This puts us at the end of the distribution pipeline, which is generally a more expensive and logistically complex place to be.  We also have cold winters that strain the finances of families who must pay to heat their homes.  And, we live in one of the most expensive hosuign markets in the nation. ~Greater Boston Food Bank
• According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development's most recent annual report to Congress there are approximately 664,414 people in the United Sates who are homeless each night.  Participating in National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week not only raises awareness and promotes ending hunger and homelessness in your community, but also strengthens the national endeavor to end hunger and homelessness.  ~National Coalition for the Homeless

How can you get involved locally?

• DONATE FOOD to Council of Social Concern's Food Pantry
• DONATE FURNITURE to Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
• VOLUNTEER at The Dwelling Place or Greater Boston Food Bank
• EDUCATE YOURSELF  with Project Bread, National Coalition for the Homeless, National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, and the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance