Sample Week

A major component of scheduling for the Awareness Week is to begin with  “kick-off” events and work up to the larger events, even if you have only two events during the week.  Planning the Awareness Week in this manner allows residents in your community to increase their involvement as the week progresses.  In this way, you will have greater participation for your larger events.

Here is an outline of a possible Awareness Week.  This sample has been taken from campuses and communities that have previously held an Awareness Week in the community and therefore have already-established organizational involvement. Your organization should determine how many and which events will be the most appropriate for your community.  In this sample, you might find an event that particularly interests your group.  Remember, if you are new at this, one or two focused events will be more effective than five or six marginally organized events.

Weekend
Hold a “Homelessness Saturday or Sunday.”  Have religious institutions such as churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques, focus religious services on homelessness/poverty issues. 

Monday
Have a kick-off event to start a money-raising or canned food/blanket drive competition.

Tuesday
Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Panel

Wednesday
“One Night Without a Home” Awareness Sleep Out

Thursday
Oxfam America’s Hunger Banquet and/or Fast for a World Harvest

Friday
End of the Week benefit festival with local musicians, canned food for admission, donation collection, and lots of information especially on how and where to volunteer.

Saturday
Organize a group to work at various community service sites as part of Community Service Day.  Throughout the week, have sign-up sheets available.

Saturday/Sunday
Set up a Homeless Challenge Project (formerly called “Urban Plunge”), contact Sarah A. Rosa, 202-462-4822 x13 or via email at srosa@nationalhomeless.org

Throughout the Awareness Week and during the preceding week, information booths to distribute fact sheets and to promote the Awareness Week are very important.

Remember!

During National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, as community members begin thinking about hunger and homelessness, it is crucial that you provide further information on how they can take action.  Don’t leave them hanging—give them the following information and any other material that you believe is important for your community.

• The name, address, email, and phone number of the local shelter at which they can volunteer.

• The names, addresses and phone numbers of local, state, and national coalitions and advocacy groups which they can join.  Contact the national organizations listed at the end of this packet to be referred to their local affiliates.

• Information about writing Members of Congress.

• Information about Alternative Breaks, which allow community members to spend a weeklong break doing service.  Call BreakAway at (800) 903-0646 for more information.

Wrap-Up

After the actual National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week takes place, there will still be a few loose ends you’ll need to tie up.  First, remember to send thank you letters to all your contacts and support network.  You or other Awareness Week organizers will probably be referring to these same people in the future.  Also, meet with your team to discuss what went right and what went wrong during the Awareness Week.  Make sure everyone evaluates their own project and how they viewed the Awareness Week as a whole.  Gather these individual and group evaluations to comprise a resource folder—one that you and other groups will be able to refer to in the following year.  This will ensure that you won’t have to annually “reinvent the wheel,” and will help the Awareness Week to grow year after year!  Also, contact the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness and let them know how your Awareness Week was received by the community — send us newspaper clippings, posters, commentary and other news!  Have fun!