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Villanova Observes 49th Annual Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

Student Volunteers Taking Part in Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Pose for a Photo

VILLANOVA, Pa. (November 6, 2023) – Villanova University will observe its 49th annual Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (HHAW) Saturday, November 11, through Monday, November 20. Sponsored by the Center for Peace and Justice Education, HHAW is an event centered on education, advocacy and service, with the ultimate goal of ending hunger and homelessness worldwide.

HHAW began at Villanova in 1975, under the guidance of the late Rev. Ray Jackson, OSA, as a discussion of the root causes of poverty. In the years since, the initiative has expanded beyond the University to more than 700 campuses and communities nationwide, becoming the most widely organized hunger and homelessness awareness event of its type in the United States.

Highlights of this year’s schedule include:

  • A Back on My Feet 5K on Saturday, November 11, at the Riley Ellipse
  • An Everybody Eats Philly keynote address on Wednesday, November 15, in Driscoll Auditorium
  • “Packing with a purpose” for the Wayne Food Pantry on Thursday, November 16, in Dougherty Hall
  • A “paint your own tote bag” fundraiser on Friday, November 16, in Dougherty Hall
  • A Thanksgiving outreach drive on Monday, November 20, at the Connelly Center Circle

For more on HHAW, including a full event schedule and information on how to get involved, please visit the HHAW website. 

About Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week: HHAW began in 1975 when a group of Villanova students, recognizing the power education could play in the fight against homelessness, decided to coordinate a week of activities around the issues. National HHAW is now an annual event held the week before Thanksgiving—jointly sponsored by the National Student Campaign against Hunger and Homelessness (NSCHH) and the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH). At Villanova, HHAW is co-sponsored by the Centers for Peace and Justice Education and Campus Ministry. Villanova also partners with numerous local and national organizations for the annual event, including Catholic Relief Services, the National Coalition for the Homeless, Project HOME, Back on My Feet and the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service.

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.