Josh Barta
jbarta@uwyo.edu
The national poverty line for a family of four is a household income $24,250 a year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and roughly 22.3 percent of Albany county residents fall below the poverty line.
This week the Service, Leadership and Community Engagement (SLCE) office is hosting Hunger and Homeless week in the Union at 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. through Friday.
“The main purpose of this week is to spread awareness,” Richard Rariden, coordinator of community engagement and service at SLCE, said. “We want people to get over the homeless stereotypes.”
Though Rariden has been a Laramie resident for a short amount of time, he already has comments in regards to Laramie’s homeless issue.
“This county is highest in the state for food insecurity,” he said.
One of the issues being tackled this week is food insecurity.
Defined by the USDA, food insecurity is a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
Among this issue are countless other topics of homelessness that will be discussed, such as LGBT homelessness, veterans and home housing and poverty.
SLCE member Allana Elder has done a large amount of research on these issues. She will be passing out this information on pieces of paper for anyone who stops and talks with her at the group’s booth, where she will also be promoting the week’s events.
“I’m looking forward to Friday’s event,” Rariden said. “After the movie we will have guest speaker Karla McClaren speak with the audience.”
In the midst of the events this week, SLCE will also be holding a canned food drive to provide Thanksgiving baskets through Interfaith-Good Samaritan. The group suggests people bring stuffing, cranberry sauce, pie filling, corn, green beans, sweet potatoes, gravy and bread/roll mix for those who wish to donate. Donations can be made at the information desk in the Union.
