Poverty Awareness Week

EDMOND, OK -- Students at the University of Central Oklahoma use cardboard boxes to build shacks to live in for Poverty Awareness Week.

"I'm just nervous about sleeping outside. It's less than a tent because if it rains you don't have protection," said UCO Freshman, Greg Adams.

The college gives students a limited amount of supplies to construct a shelter they will live in from Sunday to Wednesday. "They gave us wood slats to put underneath and they gave us cardboard and tarps and duct tape," said UCO Sophomore, Bethany Harmon.

The annual event is called Shack-a-Thon.  

"We're not necessarily living like they're living and that's not the point, but the point is to let people know these people are here. They're around us. They don't live very far away,  and we can do little things like live in shack for a week just to help them," said UCO Senior, Caleb Glennie.

Courtney Conrad says this will be her third year to participate, "This is just something that I love that UCO does. My freshmen year when I heard about this. I said this is something I have to get involved in."

Every year students raise money and donations for a local food pantry, but this year the donations collected will establish a pantry on campus.

"It's going to go to faculty and students and people in our community, and so everything that we're doing for this week is going to directly affect our campus," said Conrad.

Poverty Awareness Week runs from Sept. 30 through Oct. 5.

Non-perishable and hygiene items will be collected throughout the week for Central Pantry. If you would like to donate, you can bring items to the Volunteer and Service Learning Center office located at the Nigh University Center, Room 212, or to the students participating in Shack-a-Thon around Broncho Lake.
Poverty Awareness Week

Posted: Sunday, September 30 2012, 10:30 PM CDT