Upbeat music and the smell of hot dogs turned a silent parking lot into a lively vat of fundraising for the Midwest Outreach Distribution Center, or MODC, on Saturday. The organization hosted a Hunger Awareness Fair and Walk-a-thon in Champaign to raise money for the construction of a new food pantry. Josephine Underwood, event programmer, said the pantry is a primary step to fight the current hunger problem present in Champaign. She said one out of seven children is impoverished and suffers from hunger, while 11 percent of Champaign’s residents are in poverty.
“The hunger problem here is growing, and a lot is unreported,” Underwood said.
As a survivor of homelessness, Underwood understands the strife that people must overcome when economic hardships hit. Underwood said she experienced poverty in college, and paying for tuition came before her stomach. She never thought poverty would creep up on her life.
“It affects so many ages and so many different people,” she said.
Food and business vendors from the area supported the cause by co-sponsoring the event and setting up booths for participants. The University’s athletic department also contributed by co-sponsoring the fair and sending a few members from the men’s football and women’s basketball teams to sign autographs.
“It’s an opportunity to come out and meet people,” said Kaeman Mitchell, football player and sophomore in AHS.
Some business vendors said the event was a good chance to help out the town and market their products at the same time.
“It is in our mission to help give back to the community,” said Leah Pettit, manager of operations for Louie’s BBQ, a catering service for Champaign County. Pettit added that business was slow at the event, but it was nonetheless a good marketing opportunity.
Jennifer Bettinger, educational consultant for Usborne Books and More in Champaign, said literacy should be advocated hand-in-hand with hunger awareness, which induced her business to help sponsor the day’s event.
Individual volunteers contributed by donating money to MODC and participating in a walk-a-thon along Champaign’s Greenbelt Trail, which is located right next to the booth set-up.
Diondre Beal, alumni of the University, participated in the walk-a-thon with a graduate chapter of Phi Beta Sigma. Beal said the walk was long in the heat, but it was nice to see that people came out.
Underwood stressed that hunger can strike any family’s household. She said that about 50 percent of people that attend food pantries in the area have at least one working adult in the family, but are still struggling to find meals.
“One of the things we really noticed from talking to people was … hunger doesn’t care about economic situation or your race,” Underwood said.