The Sacred Heart University campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity will sponsor a Habitat Awareness Weekend on November 22-23 (Listen to Lisa Bondi's interview on WICC Radio) More than 80 student volunteers will take up posts at supermarkets in Bridgeport and Fairfield the weekend before Thanksgiving to make area residents aware of those who are homeless or live in substandard housing.

Over the course of the weekend, according to volunteer leader Janelle Einstein, students will “be spreading the word about the University’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity, which has been voted one of the top five campus groups in the country. They will also be sharing information about the prevalence of poverty, even in wealthy Fairfield County, and what we as a community can do to change this.”

“Bagging to Build” will involve students in bagging groceries and carrying them to customers’ cars – with any tips going to support Habitat for Humanity. The students will also staff informational tables at the entrance to each market. On Saturday, November 22, the SHU volunteers will be at Trader Joe’s and Shaw’s in Fairfield, and at Stop & Shop in Bridgeport from 9 A.M. till 4:30 P.M. They will observe the same schedule on the following day at Shaw’s and Stop & Shop in Fairfield and at Stop & Shop in Bridgeport.

A junior nursing major who became involved with Habitat as a freshman, Einstein said that student teams of a dozen or so are hard at work almost every week helping to create affordable and attractive homes for area residents. In addition, about 80 students are planning to be involved in “builds” during alternative spring breaks in North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia.

 

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