Students support SOS during National Homeless Awareness Week
Skidmore students will join forces with Shelters of Saratoga to observe National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Nov. 14-20. Throughout the week Shelters of Saratoga (SOS) will host several events to raise awareness of the homeless and the services that the shelter provides.
SOS operates a homeless shelter in Saratoga Springs, the only facility of its kind in Warren, Washington, and Saratoga counties. The shelter will sponsor a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17, at the War Memorial in Congress Park. This is event is important because much of the poverty here in Saratoga is hidden, and many people are unaware of its existence and its effects.
Skidmore students are getting involved with these projects through the "Human Behaviors in the Social Environment" course taught by Crystal Moore, associate professor of social work. Students are encouraging people to bring canned goods and basic toiletries to the vigil to donate to SOS as part of a food drive that is currently going on. Anything that could be brought would be very much appreciated!
In addition to promoting the candlelight vigil, students also will assist with another project: a chalk outline of a homeless individual on the sidewalk with a slogan reading, "They are not here because we are, Shelters of Saratoga." This project has two goals: to alert the community at large about homelessness as well as the importance of the shelter and its services.
Since its founding in 1991, SOS has worked on behalf of the homeless in our region. The organization currently serves 600 people by providing shelter, food, and clothing, and as assistance in the form of referrals to employment, financial aid, and health care. For more information on SOS and its services, please click here.
