UA Community Service Center to Sponsor ‘Sleep Out on the Quad’

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama Community Service Center will hold its annual “Sleep Out on the Quad” Wednesday, March 30. At the Sleep Out, students can learn more about hunger and homelessness issues through various activities.

At 8 p.m., volunteers will begin to prepare meals for Stop Hunger Now, which is an international hunger relief organization that packages nutritious dehydrated meals. The meals are then distributed during crisis situations, for school feeding programs and to orphanages around the world. The CSC aims to package 10,000 meals at the Sleep Out, all at the cost of just 25 cents per meal.

The meal packaging will be followed by a screening of “The Pursuit of Happyness.” The movie features Will Smith as the leading actor and tells the story of a homeless salesman’s hardships after he gains custody of his son.

“The Sleep Out is an event for students to get involved and help others,” said Charlotte Brown, hunger and homelessness awareness coordinator for the CSC.

At midnight, the UA chapter of TOMS will host its “Walk Without Shoes” around the Quad.

“The experience is meant for people to put themselves in the shoes, or lack thereof, of less fortunate individuals and then learn ways to do something about it,” said Kellie Gentry, TOMS member. “Participants will experience one night of what others live for a lifetime–no shelter, shoes and limited food and water.”

After the walk, students will have the option to sleep on the Quad to raise awareness for homelessness. Volunteers should bring their own sleeping bags and plan to leave around 7 a.m.

For more information about the Sleep Out, students can visit the Community Service Center in 346 Ferguson Center or contact them at  uahungerandhomelessness@gmail.com.

The Community Service Center’s mission is to educate students for service advocacy and leadership, civic responsibility and lifelong volunteerism by increasing awareness of community needs, resources and opportunities for social problem solving. The CSC and UA students were responsible for more than 360,000 hours of service last year in local communities, our state, across the nation and abroad.