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Helping the Hungry and Homeless in our Neighborhood
Hunger and homelessness are reaching crisis levels both here in the United States and throughout the world, and the problems are getting worse with the world-wide recession. The issue is hard to overlook when it is in your own community. In Isla Vista, where UCSB is located, the problem is severe. Several homeless members in our community have become well-known amongst the students, such as one man who has taken on the nickname “the Pirate.” CALPIRG chapter students decided to get creative and do something to help. In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, our chapter was in the midst of its quarterly pledge drive, during which time CALPIRG students educate the campus and build support for the work we do. As CALPIRG interns and volunteers discussed our campaigns with students pledging, they urged them to get involved right away. We got food supplies donated from our local food co-op and asked everyone pledging to join us in making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Within just a couple hours, we had over forty sandwiches. In the evening, we gathered a group of volunteers and walked around the areas surrounding campus. We passed out sandwiches with the hungry and homeless, and let them know what resources there were to support them. The event was an all-around success and has laid some groundwork to continue outreach to locals in need and hold a great Hunger Clean Up in the coming quarter.
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Students from across the state organize a press conference to STOP CUTS to CalGrants in Sacramento with their elected officials. -
UC Berkeley Intern Kat Lockwood speaking to students at Cal about the NO on 23 campaign to protect California’s clean air and global warming law with Van Jones. -
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Actress Amy Smart speaks at the CALPIRG Statewide Organizing Conference about activism and banning plastic grocery bags. -
Four TV, two radio, and two print media cover our High Speed Rail Spring Break Tour stop in the central valley. -
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UC Davis CALPIRG Interns Justin Hassis and Manny Rin take a photo petition during the CALPIRG Alternative Spring Break Tour- gathering hundreds of petitions calling for a statewide ban on single use polystyrene containers and plastic bags -
UCR, USC, and UCLA interns come together for a joint beach clean-up! -
Jared Calinisan, UC Mercd AmeriCorps Member and CALPIRG intern, teaching kids at a local elementary school about energy efficiency (UC Merced educated 1,157 kids in one quarter – way to go!) -
UC Merced intern caulking a window as part of our Energy Service Corps program’s work to save Californian’s energy and money while also saving the environment!