[Ohio] OU student groups focusing on area poverty, hunger this month

from The Athens News

By Jen Lennon

Appalachian poverty and hunger awareness will be the main focus of activities sponsored by student groups and local nonprofit organizations throughout the rest of February.

Appalachian Poverty and Hunger Awareness Month is a movement hoping to educate Ohio University students about the problems of poverty and hunger that plague our neighbors in the area.

Kelsey McCoy, president of OU's Students for Peace and Justice, said that "in the long term, we are searching for a way that students can unite with community organizations to create sustainable change."

She said her organization's members feel that as students, it's harder to offer much help beyond donations, and "would like to learn where the potential for sustainable change in the economic environment lies in regard to our local area."

This is the first year for Appalachian Poverty and Hunger Awareness Month. Students for Peace and Justice along with InterAct, Positive Action and "People Might," a new local nonprofit organization, have sponsored many events throughout the month. They also received funding from OU SAC.

They had a food drive at Kroger on Feb. 4 that collected 45 bags of food and $110 in donations.

Movie viewings have been the most frequented activity that students can participate in. Each Wednesday in Bentley 110 at 8:30 p.m. a movie is aired documenting issues of poverty in Appalachia.

The first was "30 Days," a movie about a man and his wife trying to survive on minimum wage for one month. This is another issue that the groups are trying to get involved in.

"We had a petition for raising minimum wage as an Ohio Constitutional Amendment available at the movie, which will be available at all movies," McCoy said.

The most recent screening was of "Appalachia: Rich Land, Poor People," a documentary about the historical struggles of Appalachian people.

This Wednesday the group will air the final movie in the series, "Matewan," which dramatizes a historic coal workers' strike. In addition to this, another food drive is scheduled for Saturday at Kroger from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The group's biggest event was a Community Action Summit on Saturday. Representatives from student and community organizations, nonprofit organizations and anyone interested in fighting local poverty were invited to the event.

"At the summit, we will be attempting to create a network that will bridge the gap between students and the community, with the ultimate goal of raising awareness on campus about the issues," McCoy said prior to the event.

The event utilized group discussion to explore questions such as: Where is help needed the most in the short term? In the long term?

They also discussed ways the organizations could work together to get better responses, as well as how the network of groups itself would function. They have gained support from the local nonprofit organizations Appalachian Peace and Justice Network and People Might, as well as from a local community group, People for Peace and Justice. Many individual community members have also helped the cause, especially through the food drive.

OU students can get involved in several ways. For one, they can attend the movie screening Wednesday. Also, Students for Peace and Justice hold meetings every Monday at 8:30 p.m. in OU's Bentley Hall Room 25.

"The focus of Students for Peace and Justice is acting locally to create global change," McCoy said. "We feel that the first step in creating local change is through bridging the gap between students and the community."

For more information, students may contact peaceandjustice@ohio.edu.