Hunger and Homelessness
Program Coordinators
Eliza Bier
Natalie Saltzman
Ani Poghosyan
Anna Martin
Ariana Rich
Email the Coordinators
Hunger and Homelessness offers volunteer programs that address homelessness and poverty in the Greater Boston Area. Student volunteers focus their service on poverty by assisting at soup kitchens and shelters, organizing food and clothing drives, and educating the Brandeis community through service and advocacy. In 2024, they hosted their 34th annual fall food drive and collected 2,000 donations of non-perishable food items for the Middlesex Human Service Agency.
Programs
Food for Thought
In the beginning of each semester volunteers collect unused guest meals from Brandeis students and exchange them to Brandeis dinning services for a pound of food per meal that is collected. This food is donated throughout the year on a weekly basis to the Community Day Center of Waltham, a day shelter for those who experience poverty and housing insecurity. Volunteers serve the meal and facilitate discussion with the guests of the shelter.
Halloween for the Hungry
Brandeis students “trick-or-treat” in Waltham for canned food items to be donated to a food bank.
Wellness Drive
Volunteers go door-to-door in Waltham during the spring to collect hygiene products, personal care items and gently used clothing that we donate to shelters.
Greater Boston Food Bank
Volunteers spend a weekend afternoon sorting donations at the Greater Boston Food Bank, contributing to the food bank's process of redistribution.
Program Details
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Population Served: Community members actively seeking support, food and shelter from community organizations
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Community Partners: The Community Day Center of Waltham, the Greater Boston Food Bank, Middlesex Human Service Agency
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Transportation: Transportation is provided for every program.
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How to Participate: Please join the Hunger and Homelessness listserv to receive regular updates regarding the above opportunities. If you have any questions or comments, we encourage you to email the program’s coordinators.
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Volunteer Time Commitment: Depending on the project, volunteer time commitments range from a few hours per month to three hours per week. Our food and clothing drives occur once a semester for the duration of a day, and we visit the Waltham Community Day Center for approximately three hours per week.