By Jenna Renaud 

Villanova University is celebrating the 46th Annual Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week (HHAW) from Sunday, November 14 through Saturday, November 20. To kick off the week, we dug deeper into the history of HHAW and provided resources to help you learn more about homelessness, hunger, and poverty.  

Did you know? 

• 37.2 million Americans live below the poverty level
• 580,000 Americans are homeless on a typical night
• 44 million Americans are at risk of suffering from hunger
• 1 in 6 children in the U.S. live in poverty 

Hunger & homelessness. Hunger Homelessness Awareness Week. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2021, from https://hhweek.org/hunger-and-homelessness/. 

History of HHAW 

HHAW was started in 1975 by Augustinian priest the Rev. Ray Jackson, OSA, and a group of Villanova students operating on their three pillars of education, advocacy, and service. The ultimate goal? Zero people affected by hunger and homelessness. Although starting at Villanova University, HHAW has since expanded to over 700 campuses and communities nationwide! Each year, HHAW has hundreds of thousands of participants that raise millions of dollars for local service providers.  

To learn more about HHAW at Villanova visit: https://vuhungerweek.wixsite.com/mysite  

To learn more about HHAW nationwide visit: https://hhweek.org/  

HHAW Villanova Events 

Monday, Nov. 15
Postgraduate Service Fair; Villanova Room-Connelly Center, 5–7 p.m.
Postgraduate Service Chat; The Refectory, 8-9:30 p.m. 

Wednesday, Nov. 17
Fair Trade Craft Fair; Connelly Center Ground Floor Atrium, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Keynote Event: The Heart of Camden, the Story of Father Michael Doyle; Connelly Cinema, 7 p.m. 

Thursday, Nov. 18
Donate A Meal; Campus Dining Halls, Lunch
The HHAW is hosting its annual Fast Day. For every meal donation collected, Dining Services will donate an amount for each meal to partner organizations helping those experiencing hunger and homelessness. 

Solidarity Vigil, The Grotto; 7 p.m. 

Saturday, Nov. 20
Back On My Feet Turkey Trot 5K; The Oreo, 9:30 a.m. 

For more information on HHAW and its schedule of events for 2021, visit the HHAW site. 

Book Recommendations 

All books are currently displayed outside of Holy Grounds on the first floor of Falvey. Books will be available for check-out starting next week.

Poverty and the underclass: changing perceptions of the poor in America by William Alton Kelso 

Confronting homelessness: poverty, politics, and the failure of social policy by David Wagner 

Homeless not hopeless: the survival networks of Latino and African American men by Edna Maritza Molina-Jackson 

Tell them who I am: The Lives of Homeless Women by Elliot Liebow 

All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America? by Joel Berg 

Local HHAW Events & Initiatives

Below is a list of ways to get involved in HHAW in Philly. Click on the following link to view more information and a full description of events: https://www.phila.gov/2021-11-08-hunger-and-homelessness-awareness-week-2021-philly-events-and-information/

• Thanksgiving Food Drive 
• Bethesda Project HH Week Events 
• Pie in the Sky 2021 
• OHS Winter Clothing Donations 

Jenna Renaud is a graduate student in the Communication Department and graduate assistant in Falvey Memorial Library.