Poverty and Homelessness

"A program called City Harvest began in 1982 in New York City when volunteers using a van started collecting food from restaurants, corporate dining rooms, and businesses, and distributed it to the poor. Today City Harvest has five vans which employees use almost around the clock to collect food from about 3,000 places. They distribute it to nearly 100 shelters, soup kitchens, church pantries, and senior citizen and day-care centers, at a cost of only thirty-nine cents a meal."

Jackie Gensler, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Some people in our community worked together to gather food donations from people in town, and surrounding towns, to establish a food pantry in the basement of a small business. The pantry provides food for needy people."

Sarah Hanson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"St. Bernard's Center for learning is a Head Start program in White Plains for pre-schoolers whose families live in shelters or transitional housing facilities for homeless people."

Teresa Woodard, Camden High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Another program which is sponsored by local churches and organized service volunteers, is called Mom's Day Out. It gives free [or at] minimal cost, childcare to parents in need."

Kirsten Sinkola, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"Another example of giving is the Good Samaritan Urban Ministries. They buy older buildings, renovate them, and turn them into housing for people with low income."

Justin Lockwood, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"My English teacher gave me a brochure of a place called the House of Charity in Spokane Washington. It's made up totally of people volunteering their time to the homeless. Nurses, doctors, dentists, even people who don't have any special skills, knowthat their time is greatly appreciated, and don't seem to mind giving up a portion of it to benefit those less fortunate."

Barbie Eaton, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Christ House is located in Washington, D.C., and is a live-in medical convalescent home for the homeless, where patients can stay as long as it takes for them to get well. Christ House provides counseling and support groups, and also ensures stable loving conditions after the patient has been discharged."

Kelly Gradel, DeForest High School, DeForest, Wisconsin

"James Washington of the Dallas Cowboys...wanted to make a difference in his own community. He started by creating a community center that will feed and house up to 30 homeless people at a time, with adjacent facilities for counseling and education. He calls it Shelter 37, which he got from his jersey number. It will be part of the reconstruction of South Central Los Angeles."

Nhung Huynh, Pioneer High School, San Jose, California

"Tanya Tull has been helping homeless people for years. At first she created emergency shelters and then she started transitional housing programs. Tanya recently put together two non-profit groups which will provide housing and support for mentally ill, and families with children. By giving them support and a place to stay, they can change their life around and start over."

Jodi Hitt, Post Falls High School, Post Falls, Idaho

"John and Mary Barker twice a week load food, clothing, and blankets they have collected from neighbors, into their family van. They then go out in search of homeless people who do not go to the missions for help. They sometimes go to vacant buildings, alleyways and train stations in search of the homeless."

Jackie Gensler, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"In Mt. Vernon, N.Y., my aunt's church gives a baby shower to all expecting moms who are in need. At the shower these mothers-to-be receive diapers, bottles, blankets, and clothing for their unborn child."

Erin Sweeney, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

"The Family Resource Coalition in Chicago has been a drop-in center for single parents trying to raise their children alone in poorer sections of Chicago."

Dallas Hacker, Strasburg High School, Strasburg, Colorado

"Loaves & Fishes is a church sponsored organization dealing directly with hunger in the community."

Emily McCullon, Plainview High, Ardmore, Oklahoma

"It [a trip to Chicago] was for a program called MAD, which stands for Make A Difference. Our main objective was to do just that. In order to make a difference, we helped build houses for the homeless people. At the end of the week, I remember seeing a little girl who was going to be living in one of those houses. She was smiling from ear to ear, and I knew that we were partially responsible for her happiness."

Kari Wahlstrom, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota

"John Melped, an experimental performance artist, who is concerned about homelessness, discovered a unique way of using his talents to improve the lives of others. He took a group of homeless people and trained them to become performance artists in skits he had created about life on skid row. The group travels around California helping to change the public's view on homelessness, and providing the homeless with support."

Jackie Gensler, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"NJHS members from Deer Valley Middle School in Phoenix, Arizona, organized and prepared a dinner for a local homeless shelter. Each student was responsible for a certain part of the meal. By the end of the evening the students felt good about this rewarding experience. They also demonstrated that teenagers are willing to give of their time to serve others."

Sarah Erickson, Luck High School, Luck, Wisconsin

"In my hometown of Centerville, SD, we have a food pantry for the poor. This pantry receives donations from nearly the whole town. Donations are given and special events are held to collect food for the pantry. At dances, instead of paying an admission fee, people are asked to donate to the pantry."

Neal Bobzin, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"I tried to do something responsible on Christmas day, by helping out with a Christmas dinner for poor people. It was put on by Ashland Christian Fellowship. My dad organized the dinner, and he put many hours of work into it. We served over 800 dinners free of charge."

Josh McFarland, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

"Every year local churches in my community makeup food baskets and deliver them to those less fortunate during the holiday season. The National Honor Society chapter of Rock Hill High School is having a Christmas party and providing dinner and

present for underprivileged children."

Jennifer Waddell, Rock Hill Senior High School, Ironton, Ohio

"In Spokane, Washington, Bryant Robertson, an eighth grader at North Pine Junior High, is trying to get his school to put free meals together for the homeless using extra cafeteria food. 'We have extra food and instead of it going to waste, the homeless could come here and have a free meal,' explains Bryant. Robertson is not the only one in Spokane doing something for the homeless. The county has put together an organization called the Spokane Neighborhood Action Program. This program uses state grant money to help place families in available homes. So far the program has been very successful, providing homes for approximately 120 people since 1989."

Jodi Hitt, Post Falls High School, Post Falls, Idaho

"In the past there have been several benefit dinners or pancake feeds for people in need. Presently there is a benefit dinner being organized for a fifth grade boy from Centerville who has cancer. During these types of events, the people of the community come together and work for a worthy cause."

Randy White, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"Dimension Cable has an Operation Holiday going on now. They allow people to bring in either a $10 toy or $10 worth of nonperishable food items. In return they give free installations. This allows people to get something at the same time as they are giving to those who are less fortunate than they are."

Amber L. Gillenwater, Rock Hill Senior High School, Ironton, Ohio

"At my school we contribute many things to our community; we have different organizations that participate in different activities. During the holiday season a group called Helping Hands persuades the entire school to participate in giving gifts to the needy. The students wrap up different gifts for boys and girls and send them to the local Salvation Army. It helps the kids in school gain more of the holiday spirit while giving the needy a happier holiday."

Dana Guiffreda, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

"Access Food Share is another non-profit organization that has given generously of their time and efforts. This organization collects non-perishable foods such as canned and packaged food. and distributes it to needy families throughout the area. What makes this organization different from the rest is that they operate on a year round basis helping many different families have a little more at meal time."

Jason M. Hayes, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

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