Poverty Awareness Month
3/1-3/10 Poverty Topics: Access to Education and Literacy
3/18-3/24 Poverty Topics: Hunger and Homelessness
3/25-3/31 Poverty Topics: Health Care and Financial Literacy
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How can I be involved this month?
Educate Yourself on the Issues
- Hunger in Ripon
- Housing and Poverty in Ripon
- Take a Quiz: How much do you really know about poverty?
- US Census Beaureau: Poverty
- Poverty in America
TIP: Check Lane Library and the Ripon Public Library for a copy of these books...
- Understanding Poverty (2002) by Sheldon H. Danziger and Robert H. Haverman
- The Working Poor: Invisible in America (2005) by David K. Shipler
- Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich)
- The Grapes of Wrath (1939) by John Steinbeck
Articles
- "Relatively Deprived" by John Cassidy (The New Yorker, April 3, 2006)
- "Overcoming the Silence of Generational Poverty" by Donna M. Beegle (Talking Points, Oct/Nov 2003)
- "Free Lunch" by Mike Nichols (Wisconsin Interest)
- "Poverty is Poison" (The New York Times. By Paul Krugman. February 18, 2008)
- "The Sting of Poverty" (The Boston Globe. By Drake Bennett. March 30, 2008)
- Contact members of Congress and let them know that programs addressing Poverty issues (hunger, homelessness, mental health, education, etc.) are important and need to be protected. Look up how to contact your legislators by clicking here!
- Find hunger specific guidance on contacting your elected officials by clicking here.
- Join Voices Against Hunger: Do you have 5 minutes each month you could donate to help fight hunger? Voices Against Hunger is the quick and impactful way you can influence effective anti-hunger public policy!
- Learn more about becoming an advocate for literacy programs by visiting ProLiteracy's web page or contacting your local library.
Raise Awareness
- Strut your stuff: Be a proud Ripon Red Hawk and raise awareness for Poverty issues by wearing red every Wednesday this month. See if you can get others to join you!
- Talk about poverty issues. There are some pretty hot button conversations going on in congress that affect everyone's financial futures. What's your take?
- Do you have personal experiences of dealing with poverty? We would love to hear your story! Share your story with friends, family and fellow students, staff and faculty if you feel comfortable doing so. Need assistance figuring out the best way to share your experiences? Contact the OCE at oce@ripon.edu and we can help you figure out how!
Address a Need in the Community at the Ground Level
- Action Starts with Conviction Grants are designed to provide monetary support to student led/community supported projects that connect members of the City of Ripon and Ripon College communities to bring about positive, ethical social change in the larger Ripon Area. The Action Starts with Conviction grants are one way that the Office of Community Engagement seeks to empower the Ripon College community to collaborate with others to ask compelling questions, demonstrate integrity in every belief and action, and serve the community in pursuit of contributing to the common good. Applications are being accepted NOW so CLICK HERE to get started!
Volunteer!
Take a stand against poverty in the Ripon Area by addressing the underlying social justice issues through service!
- Education/Literacy
Ripon Public Library
Interested in helping out at the Ripon Public Library? Here are just a few events to whet your appetite: more opportunities will become available as the year goes on. Contact Sarah Brown at browns@ripon.edu to learn more or to express your interest! General Volunteer Looking for a highly rewarding volunteer experience? The Ripon Public Library is looking for volunteers to assist them in the day to day operations of a busy library in a close knit community. Duties may include shelf reading/tidying, sweeping, watering plants, weeding out old and unused materials from the shelves and withdrawing them from the library, assisting with children’s/teen programming, setting up for the semi-annual book sale, and various other tasks as assigned by the librarians. For more information about the Library’s current needs, contact the Ripon Public Library at 920-748-6160.
STRIPES Tutoring Program
WANTED: A handy and helpful assistant for the STRIPES tutoring program. Assistant will help the coordinator of STRIPES manage and organize tutors and tutees, and plan meetings. Spend your time working for a good cause while also learning professional skills!
Middle School is looking for college students to help at recess either once a week, once a month or just once in awhile FOR ONLY ABOUT 45 MINUTES a time. If you have a group of friends, a class or a club that would like to go with you that’s great! The more the merrier—you don’t have to go alone! If you are interested please contact Sarah Brown (browns@ripon.edu ) and she will get you in touch with the Middle School. Besides…who doesn’t want to play four square or touch football or basketball and be a 13 year old again—even if just for a little bit!
2. Hunger/Homelessness/Access to resources
Community Thrift Store and Food Pantry
The Ripon Community Thrift Store and Food Pantry is looking for volunteers! Currently there are three main areas of need:
- Thrift Store: Serve customers, keep the store neat and clean and organized.
- Sorting Room: Receive, sort, clean and organize donations.
- Food Pantry: Serve food pantry customers on Mondays, clean and organized pantry.
Please note that volunteers may be asked to pitch in wherever necessary, and that all positions require considerable time on your feet and some light lifting, at times up to 30 lbs. The Thrift Store and Sorting Room is open Tuesday thru Friday: 10:00am-5:00pm and Saturday: 10:00am-3:00pm. The Food Pantry is open Mondays: 10:00am-3:00pm.
Volunteer applications are available from the Office of Community Engagement (located on the top floor of the Harwood Memorial Union) and will need to be filled out before you can start volunteering. Contact the OCE at browns@ripon.edu with questions.
Habitat for Humanity Fond Du Lac
The ReStore could not exist without the help of volunteers. Please continue joining our team of enthusiastic, hardworking volunteers in an effort to benefit our local Habitat for Humanity. Great opportunities exist in many areas, including: customer service, cashiering, stocking shelves, preparing donations for display, picking up donations, deconstructing buildings, office support, etc. For more information please contact Sarah Brown at browns@ripon.edu or call 748-8318.
Habitat for Humanity Oshkosh ReStore
Ripon College students – are you looking to boost your academic transcript? Volunteer at the Oshkosh ReStore! The ReStore is a building supply resale store that recycles donated materials from the community while funding future Habitat for Humanity homes in Oshkosh. It could not exist without the help of volunteers. Please consider joining our team of enthusiastic, hard-working volunteers to make a difference for families in Oshkosh while investing in your own future. Want to volunteer? Contact Katie LaViolette (Ripon College ’11): (920) 230.3535 or klaviolette@habitatoshkosh.org
Got a great idea about how to address Poverty or another social justice issue? I'd love to hear about it! Questions? Contact the OCE at oce@ripon.edu or call 920-748-8318.
