Social Action to Meet Human Needs:
Hunger, Homelessness and Poverty

Background 

It is estimated that there were approximately 744,000 homeless people in the US in 2005. A little more than half were living in shelters and nearly a quarter were chronically homeless, according to a report by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, an advocacy group.  While a majority of the homeless were single adults, about 41% were in families.  California had the most homeless people -- about 170,000, followed by New York, Florida, Texas and Georgia. Nevada had the highest share of its population homeless, about 0.68%, followed by Rhode Island, Colorado, California and Hawaii.

In many other cities, individuals are helping the increasing number of people living under bridges and in wooded encampments near rivers and streams.  The intent of this lesson plan is to illustrate that there are a number of ways that children and youth can participate in social action programs and alleviate the problem.  The objective is to plan and conduct a variety of activities to combat the related problems of hunger, homelessness and poverty.

Suggested procedures

Students of any age can engage in a variety of relevant activities:

Learn about the issue of hunger. 

(1) Younger children can draw a picture of someone who is hungry, describe the person they drew, and tell how the picture portrays hunger.

(2) Older students can research various groups to gather information on senior citizens, veterans, immigrants, unemployed people, and people who need assistance with food.

(3) Invite representatives from local agencies who work with people who are in need of assistance with food to speak with the students. 

"I Care" kits

While a few people cannot solve the problem of hunger and homelessness, they can help homeless people feel a sense of dignity by collecting and distributing personal care kits.  Students can learn about homeless shelters. Contact one of them to ask permission to make the kits and visit the shelters to find out what the people need.  Items can be combs and brushes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, shampoo, nail clippers and nail files, needles and thread, blankets and sheets, towels, and toys and books. Also discuss fundraising ideas to buy additional items.

Additional ethical action ideas:

-- Holding clothing drives to collect cold weather items

-- Preparing and serving food at shelters

-- Tutoring and reading to children

-- Taking children on outings

-- Becoming a "Big Buddy" with a child

-- Surveying community members about the need for low-cost housing

-- Collecting signatures of people who support low-cost housing

-- Contacting Habitat for Humanity (www. Habitat.org  -- or  write to Habitat for Humanity International, 121 Habitat Street, Americus, GA 31709-3498 to find out if they are planning to build low-cost houses in your community -- and volunteer to help

-- Advocating for child care, health care and counseling programs

-- Exploring employment opportunities for homeless people who are out of work

-- Finding out what your local government is doing to expand job training and placement

Activities for combating hunger

-- Holding food drives: find out from the shelters what types of food to donate; decide when you will contribute (e.g., holidays or any days?); make fliers and other publicity items to advertise the food drive (e. g., radio and TV stations, newspapers)

-- Collecting grocery coupons to give to a local food bank

-- Collecting vitamins and money for medicines

-- Volunteering to help at a local food bank

-- Helping to prepare and serve meals at a local shelter

-- Preparing bag lunches for homeless people and disadvantaged children

-- Contacting restaurants and grocery stores to find out how much still good quality food they discard each day or week; ask them if they would be willing to donate the items to a local shelter

Activities for an anti-hunger campaign

-- Surveying your community to determine what people know about the extent of the problem

-- Surveying your community to determine the number of children who go to bed hungry each night

-- Drafting a petition to support an anti-hunger campaign

-- Getting media attention for your local campaign

Additional activities

-- Finding examples of how homeless or poor people are depicted in books

-- Studying historic events (such as the Irish famine) that have led to hunger or homelessness

-- Reading food labels to find nutritional values and compare the value of different foods

-- Studying the effects of hunger on student achievement in schools

-- Visiting a food bank and help stock shelves

To find out about the problem of world hunger, contact the World Hunger Education Service - www.worldhunger.org/  --or -- P.O. Box 29056, Washington, D.C. 20017 --   202/269-6322

Web resources

The National Coalition for the Homeless (www.nationalhomeless.org) is a national network of people who are experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission. The mission is to end homelessness. They are committed to creating the systemic and attitudinal changes necessary to prevent and end homelessness.

Oxfam America (www.oxfamamerica.org/) is an international relief and development organization that creates solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Together with individuals and local groups in more than 120 countries, Oxfam, helps people overcome poverty, and fights for social justice. They are an affiliate of Oxfam International.

Share Our Strength (www.strength.org/) is a national organization that works to "make sure no kid in America grows up hungry). They collaborate with community groups and food programs to identify children at risk of hunger and surround them with nutritious food. They also work with the culinary industry to create programs like the Great American Bake Sale and similar programs.

Additional sources

The Complete Guide to Service Learning by Cathryn Berger Kaye (2004).  Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.

This guide to practical ways to engage students in social action includes several pages of annotations for books on hunger and homelessness (non-fiction, fiction, and picture books for young readers.)  Some of the non-fiction titles are: Changing Places: A Kid's View of Shelter Living, Home is Where We Live: Life at a Shelter through a Young Girl's Eyes, Homeless Children, Homelessness: Cam We Solve the Problem?, The Other America: Homeless Teens. Some of the fiction titles are The Hundred Dresses and Money Hungry. The picture book titles include The Greatest Table: A Banquet to Fight Against Hunger and The Can-Do Thanksgiving.

The Kids Guide to Service Projects by Barbara A. Lewis. (1995). Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.

Over 500 service ideas for young people who want to make a difference