Ashley Grover
South Coloradan
La Puente Hope Week is coming up, giving students the opportunity to raise awareness about the homeless community here in Alamosa and offer a hand to help. Events for Hope Week will begin Monday, September 21 and will include diverse activities from a candlelight vigil to a community picnic.
“Our goal is to celebrate and raise awareness about homeless issues throughout the valley,” full-time volunteer Sarah Elsey said.
A documentary will be shown in Carson Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, September 21. By showing the documentary, La Puente hopes to inform students about the homeless community and social problems within the valley.
“Hope Week allows students to educate themselves about important issues that are surrounding them everyday,” Elsey said.
On Friday, September 25 an open mic night will be held. In the past, this event has been successful in recruiting new people from both Adams State College and the community to gain interest in La Puente and their projects during Hope Week.
“This is a huge opportunity for us,” Elsey said. “We always have consistent volunteers, but this allows us to catch the attention of a new group of people.”
On Saturday, September 26 there will be community cleaning at the Food Bank. La Puente is hoping to get as much help as possible in order to clean out the Food Bank. This will be a great chance for those people who are interested in providing help with a visible outcome. La Puente is “counting on Adams State support.”
The community picnic will be held on Sunday, September 27. This has been one of the most popular events in past years because it offers a chance to congregate with many different people and learn about them. Those who attend are able to help with cooking, picking up or simply providing conversation.
“The community picnic is our chance to give people a tour of the shelter and inform them about what La Puente does in Alamosa,” Elsey said. “There are so many things you can do through La Puente whether it’s helping at the food bank or serving food. The important thing is that we’re helping decrease the homeless population.”
Whether you have experience with the homeless or not, La Puente is open to anyone who wants to offer a helping hand or who is open to a learning experience.
“It never hurts to try something new,” Elsey said. “You never know who you may meet or what you may learn. You may even discover something new about yourself.”
For more information contact La Puente at (719) 587-3499.
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