Campus hosts hunger, homelessness conference

Students from UW–Madison and around the country will plunge into community service work beginning today (Thursday) as part of a four-day conference to help fight hunger and homelessness.

Organized by the university’s Morgridge Center for Public Service, the community service “plunge” will kick off the 11th National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, which will run through Sunday on the UW–Madison campus.

Emphasizing education, service and action, the campaign will be the largest gathering of college students to combat hunger and homelessness in the country. More than 500 students from 125 colleges and universities are expected to attend.

The community service plunge Thursday runs from 1-5 p.m., followed by the official opening session at 6:30 p.m. In addition, the four-day campaign will feature panel discussions, including one with current and former homeless people, and more than 100 workshops by Habitat for Humanity, Bread for the World, the National Coalition for the Homeless and other groups. Workshop topics will include campus programs such as campuswide fasts, food salvage programs and voter registration.

Addressing the conference will be Martha Pickett, the executive director of Second Harvest, the nation’s largest network of food banks. Pickett will speak Saturday at 3 p.m. in Room B10 of Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive.

The campaign is hosted by the Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group, or WISPIRG, at UW–Madison. More than 150 UW–Madison student volunteers are organizing the event.

For more information, contact Susan Vande Hei of the Morgridge Center at (608) 263-4009, or Julie Miles, executive director of the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, at (608) 287-0192.