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Letter: Reader reminds community to be generous during 'Season of Giving'
Issue date: 11/20/07 Section: Editorial/Opinion
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11/20/07 - To The Cigar,
With the holiday season approaching, many students are busy with end-of-the-semester activities. Students will be preparing for finals, writing papers and completing projects so that they can leave campus as soon as possible for winter break. With so much going on in our lives it is easy to forget that this time of year is a great time to give back to our communities.
The holidays and the season of giving are fast approaching, so why shouldn't we become more involved and help families in need?
So, what can a bunch of "poor college students" do? A lot. The fact is that families in the community are in need of any support they can get. In Rhode Island, 11.6 percent of residents in 2004 were living in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Web site. That number amounts to 122,520 people.
The Rhode Island Community Food Bank Web site stipulates that it serves 51,000 residents each month. That number represents only half of our impoverished population. Take a minute to register that number. Fifty-one thousand out of 122,520. Fifteen thousand sixty-two were the number of enrolled students that attended the University of Rhode Island in 2006. We would need to more than triple our enrollment to match the number of residents who rely on the Food Bank for food and multiply that number more than eight times to recreate the number of individuals living in poverty here in Rhode Island.
How would you feel if everyone you knew at URI could not adequately support him or herself? What would you do about it?
Now, as college students we may be strapped for cash a good amount of the time, but we are not in poverty. Our dining halls may not serve five-star meals, but there is enough for everyone to be fed and maintain a healthy diet. We may not live at the Ritz, but we live in dry, warm dorms.
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and after that it is only a matter of time before the December holidays are upon us. How do you plan on giving this holiday season? I challenge each student who is able to give back to the community to do so. You can donate food, clothing, money, or time. Whichever you prefer, the choice is up to you.
With the holiday season approaching, many students are busy with end-of-the-semester activities. Students will be preparing for finals, writing papers and completing projects so that they can leave campus as soon as possible for winter break. With so much going on in our lives it is easy to forget that this time of year is a great time to give back to our communities.
The holidays and the season of giving are fast approaching, so why shouldn't we become more involved and help families in need?
So, what can a bunch of "poor college students" do? A lot. The fact is that families in the community are in need of any support they can get. In Rhode Island, 11.6 percent of residents in 2004 were living in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Web site. That number amounts to 122,520 people.
The Rhode Island Community Food Bank Web site stipulates that it serves 51,000 residents each month. That number represents only half of our impoverished population. Take a minute to register that number. Fifty-one thousand out of 122,520. Fifteen thousand sixty-two were the number of enrolled students that attended the University of Rhode Island in 2006. We would need to more than triple our enrollment to match the number of residents who rely on the Food Bank for food and multiply that number more than eight times to recreate the number of individuals living in poverty here in Rhode Island.
How would you feel if everyone you knew at URI could not adequately support him or herself? What would you do about it?
Now, as college students we may be strapped for cash a good amount of the time, but we are not in poverty. Our dining halls may not serve five-star meals, but there is enough for everyone to be fed and maintain a healthy diet. We may not live at the Ritz, but we live in dry, warm dorms.
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and after that it is only a matter of time before the December holidays are upon us. How do you plan on giving this holiday season? I challenge each student who is able to give back to the community to do so. You can donate food, clothing, money, or time. Whichever you prefer, the choice is up to you.
