Villanova Hosts 51st Annual Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week
VILLANOVA, Pa. (November 7, 2025) — From Sunday, November 16, through Saturday, November 22, Villanova University will observe its 51st annual Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (HHAW). Sponsored by the Office for Mission and Ministry’s Center for Peace and Justice Education, HHAW is an event aimed at ending hunger and homelessness worldwide, with participants raising awareness, showing solidarity, taking immediate action steps and advocating for long-term solutions.
Founded at Villanova in 1975, under the guidance of the late Rev. Ray Jackson, OSA, HHAW originated as an on-campus discussion of the root causes of poverty. Today, it stands as the largest hunger and homelessness awareness initiative of its kind in the United States, taking place at more than 700 campuses and communities across the country.
“This year, we celebrate the vision and passion of Fr. Ray Jackson and all of the members of the Villanova community who inspired a nationwide movement of care and solidarity with those in greatest need,” said Raymond Ward, PhD, associate director for Advocacy and Engagement at the Center for Peace and Justice Education. “These 50-plus years are a testament to the heart for service in our students, and to our community’s resolute commitment to living out the Augustinian Catholic value of Caritas.”
As part of this year’s slate of HHAW events, a keynote address will be delivered at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19, in Driscoll Auditorium. Titled “50 Years Too Many: The Origins and Legacy of HHAW at Villanova,” and led by Mary Beth Appel ’81 FCN, Perry Hazeltine ’82 CLAS, Cathy Nguyen ’23 CLAS and Luke Stivala ’18 CLAS, the talk will focus on the initiative’s early years, gradual evolution and enduring significance.
Afterward, from Thursday, November 20, to Friday, November 21, Villanova will host a sleepout on the Riley Ellipse to express solidarity with the unhoused and raise funds for the Breaking Bread Community Shelter (BBCS). Based in Upper Darby, the BBCS is a nonprofit responding to the growing need for temporary housing for individuals that are homeless in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding region.
Other highlights on the itinerary—extending beyond the week itself, throughout the month—include a run in partnership with the nonprofit Back on My Feet on Friday, November 14; a “walk in their shoes” poverty simulation on Monday, November 17; and a Thanksgiving food drive coordinated by the Center for the Common Good on Monday, November 24.
For more information on HHAW and how to get involved, please visit Villanova’s HHAW webpage.
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 sponsored by the Center for Peace and Justice Education, housed within the Office for Mission and 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.