Monmouth University first-year students Chelsea Sebastian and Alexa Ferreira partook in the First Year Service Project, “Houseless Not Hopeless,” in October. The picture depicts a cardboard shelter that Chelsea, Alexa, and their team members built in preparation to sleep outdoors for one night.
During the event, students participated in multiple service-oriented activities to fight poverty in the community and experienced a night of homelessness by sleeping in their cardboard shelters.
The event was run as part of the First-Year Service Project, which organizes activities throughout the semester that give students the opportunity to get involved in ways that benefit the local community.
Some of their contributions included:
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- Raised over $1,500 to provide local families in need with a Thanksgiving meal;
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- a donation of over 800 pounds of food to the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties;
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- over $500 donated to various service agencies;
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- over 2,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were prepared on campus and donated to local soup kitchens;
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- 150 coats were donated to two local soup kitchens;
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- purchased winter hats and gloves for the needy.