Sleepout to raise awareness about hunger and homelessness

On Nov. 15, the third annual Sleepout to End Hunger and Homelessness will be held in the residential quad. This year, the Sleepout is sponsored by West Chester University’s Residence Life and Housing Department. The event, which will take place between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., raises awareness about homelessness and provides donations for local charities.
The purpose of the Sleepout is for students to experience the hardship of sleeping in the cold and to get a sense of what it feels like to be homeless. By sleeping outside in tents or on cots the whole night or at least part of the night, students can gain insight into the hardship of being homeless.
During the Sleepout, refreshments will be provided, including soup and hot chocolate. Activities throughout the night will include guest speakers, a showing of The Pursuit of Happyness movie, and a craft.
For each hour that someone decides to partake in the Sleepout, a friend or relative pledges a donation, which can be a monetary or a food or clothing donation. Packs of t-shirts, pairs of unused socks, canned goods, hats, scarves, store gift cards, sleeping bags, blankets, toiletry kits and monetary donations are especially useful. Donations will continue to be collected after the Sleepout until Dec. 6 at Killinger Hall.
The partnering charities for this year’s Sleepout include Safe Harbor, The Chester County Food Bank, and Decades to Doorways, a program created by the Chester County Department of Community Development. Students can register to participate in the Sleepout as individuals or collaborate and form a team. To register, students can sign up by visiting https://sites.google.com/site/wcusleepout/home. A team can cover all 12 hours of the event by allotting time slots to different members in their group. The last day to register online is Monday, Nov. 11.
If any students have questions about the event, they should email Marcus Harrison, the Allegheny Hall Resident Director, at mharrison@wcupa.edu.
Ellen D’Amore is a second year student majoring in Secondary English Education and can be reached at ED787683@wcupa.edu.