LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -
On November 8 and 9, 166 Lock Haven University students participated in the Sleepout for Hunger service project. With the cooperation of the City of Lock Haven, the students slept out in Triangle Park to raise awareness about the issue of hunger locally and globally. The project was coordinated by Brandon Wilson and Samantha Singer, LHU students and Americorps members with the University’s MountainServe Center for Global Citizenship.

The Sleepout project was the final component to the Hunger Bowl service competition, which encouraged students, clubs, groups, classes and athletic teams to rally together and perform acts of community service-learning addressing the issue of hunger relief during the month of October, which is Hunger Awareness Month. These teams competed against each other by raising money, collecting canned food, serving at a community lunch program or volunteering at the local food bank. The possibilities were endless.

The winner of the 2008 Hunger Bowl trophy, which was designed by Rebecca Forbes, a student in one of Professor Vance McCoy’s ceramics courses, was the University Honors Program. The competition was judged by a panel of faculty, students and community partners and included Dr. Linda Koch, vice president for student affairs; Dr. Zak Hossain, professor of sociology; Andres Mendoza, SCC vice-president; Anne-Marie Turnage, director of community service and Laurie Weinreb-Welch, Clinton County Extension Service.

The Hunger Bowl trophy was awarded during the Sleepout event. During the presentation of the award, Singer reminded all of the participating organizations that “you are all winners tonight for the efforts that you have undertaken to help end hunger.” The Hunger Bowl and Sleepout resulted in 170 volunteers and over 3000 non-perishable items donated. The community service event inspired civic engagement unifying the university and the community in a common goal to alleviate local, national, and international hunger.