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Wednesday, May 14
The Indiana Daily Student

Out in the Cold

INPIRG shows film to educate about homeless

The holidays are approaching and the weather keeps getting colder. In and around Monroe County an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people are without a place to call home. Monday night, members of the Indiana Student Public Interest Research Group held a documentary screening at 7 p.m. in Woodburn Hall 120. \nAbout 20 people, ranging from the ages of five to 55, saw the documentary, "Down and Out in America." The film focused primarily on the struggles of a group of Minnesota farmers and the fight they had with the local bank to allow them to keep their homes. After the showing, viewers held candles as they walked to Dunn Meadow to discuss issues regarding the homeless and the hungry. \nJoel Rekas, director for the Shalom Community Center in Bloomington, introduced the film. He coordinates efforts daily to help those who are hungry and homeless in Monroe County. The Shalom Community Center is on the bottom floor of First United Methodist church, located on Fourth Street.\nINPIRG is a student-run organization that seeks to influence the media and the government through its awareness campaigns, according to its Web site.\n"We have roughly fifty members that participate in our daily operations," said junior Patricia Winkler. \nWinkler is the coordinator for the Hunger and Homelessness campaign, which was responsible for planning and putting on the viewing and candlelight vigil.\nRekas led the discussion in Dunn Meadow where students and community members shared their feelings on the problem and enjoyed snacks and coffee donated by the Runcible Spoon.\nINPIRG showed the documentary in hopes of teaching students how large a problem homelessness is around them, especially in Monroe County, which has the highest number of homeless people of any Indiana county, said sophomore Megan Smith, who serves as a coordinator for Volunteer Day at INPIRG.\n"So many people in Monroe County are college students and they have enough income to afford high rental rates for housing," Smith said. "This drives up rent making affordable housing a real problem here." \nThe documentary/vigil was the first event in a week-long effort to make the community more aware of the problems currently facing Monroe County. \nINPIRG will cosponsor the Oxfam Hunger Banquet with Indiana Memorial Union catering services at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The banquet will take place in the Georgian Room of the IMU. \nGuests wishing to attend should contact Sheena White at srwhite@indiana.edu. \n-- Contact staff writer Michael Pieper at mnpieper@indiana.edu.

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