Beginning this month, students at Troy University will take aim at the issues of poverty and hunger through a six-month campaign sponsored by the University’s Office of Service Learning and Civic Engagement.

The student-led program, “Hungry for a Change,” seeks to raise awareness and help address the issue of hunger in the Troy community through several activities and special events.

“The Hungry for a Change campaign will include events geared towards educating students of the effects and problems of poverty and getting them actively involved in combating it locally in a personal way,” said Jonathan Cellon, coordinator of learning initiatives in Troy’s Office of First-Year Studies.

The campaign will begin with a Tent City Kickoff on Monday, Nov. 12 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Nov. 13 on the University’s Bibb Graves Quad. The event will enable students to experience homelessness first-hand, Cellon said.

Other events of the campaign will be designed and implemented by 20 Civic Scholars selected through an application process. The Civic Scholars will be trained and provided with up to $200 in funds to implement service project ideas throughout the 2013 Spring semester.

“The Civic Scholar program is designed to identify emerging leaders at Troy University and equip them with tools, training and resources to design and implement service projects to address hunger and poverty in Troy and the surrounding community as a part of the Hungry for a Change initiative,” Cellon said.

“Civic Scholars must exemplify the characteristics of a leader and be dependable, responsible and trustworthy. Most of all a Civic Scholar must be dedicated and committed to creating solutions to poverty and hunger,” he said.

The campaign will culminate with a canned food drive benefitting local food banks and the second annual Can Castle Contest on April 24 and a Civic Leadership and Service Day on April 27 for area middle school students.

Hungry for a Change is made possible through the support of Youth Service America, the Sodexo Foundation and Troy University Dining.

This article was submitted by Troy University.