UW students volunteer to help homeless

More than 200 University of Washington students will volunteer at several food banks and homeless shelters throughout Seattle during a one-day service project this Saturday.

UW volunteers will be engaging in services organized by the Washington Public Interest Research Group (WashPIRG), and some of their tasks will include painting, cleaning and minor construction of many different local shelters.

Volunteers hope to also collect hourly sponsorships throughout the day to support local, national and international homeless and hunger relief programs.

The University of Washington and WashPIRG aren’t the only groups involved with this national service day.

“Nationally, we hope to raise $100,000 for vital community agencies,” wrote Sara Nolte, WashPIRG media intern, in an email. “We will mobilize 10,000 volunteers who will work with 800 agencies, and students will provide more than 30,000 hours of volunteer power.”

The University of Washington student volunteers aim to raise at least $2,500 by the end of the service day, according to WashPIRG.

The volunteers will meet this Saturday at 11 a.m. at Northwest Harvest’s Cherry Street Food Bank near downtown Seattle. From there, 20 students will remain at the bank while the rest will be dispersed to numerous shelters and other homeless and hunger facilities located throughout Seattle. Once at their respected locations, the volunteers will work to raise money, fix shelters and offer other relief services.

Fifty percent of the money raised Saturday will be donated to local agencies in Seattle, 35 percent will be given to the National Student Campaign Against Hunger, while the remaining 15 percent will be donated to International Project, an agency that purchases emergency medical supplies and food for thousands of refugees in camps in Darfur, Sudan, as well as support the Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe.

[Reach reporter Ben Schock at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]