ASU kicked off its Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week on Tempe campus Thursday with its second annual Forts for the Forgotten event.
According to the Residence Hall Association, the overnight event involved roughly 100 participants who used basic materials left over from Homecoming parade floats to construct their forts.
In the weeks preceding the event, enough students signed on to warrant an expansion from one to two fort construction sites, one at the Hassayampa Academic Village and the other at the Palo Verde courtyard.
Members of the Residence Hall Association organized the event in conjunction with the National Residence Hall Honorary Chapter of the Maroon and Gold.
Dozens of participants at both sites worked at a competitive pace for several hours trying to construct the more impressive fort complex. Despite their best efforts, the forts themselves were rudimentary in nature.
“We are working with only the most basic tools,” psychology junior Andrea Leon said. “We have cardboard boxes, a few rolls of duct tape and some chicken wire mostly.”
Psychology sophomore Lauren Zack was on hand to direct coordination of forts at Hassayampa Academic Village. Zack was responsible for organizing the blanket making groups and advising participants on how to make the sturdiest forts.
“The reality is that homelessness in our community is something that’s not very visible,” Zack said. “We don’t realize that its such a widespread problem because as college students we’re pretty isolated from it.”
Director of Community Engagement Abby Henderson shuttled between both sites until 2 a.m., making sure the event was moving smoothly.
“Everybody who participates will make their own sleeping blankets,” Henderson said. “Once they do that, we give them a food stamp and then they can get some soup.”
Some of the RHA organizers, such as elementary education freshman Allison Gross, felt obligated to help in the event based on previous experiences with the homeless community.
“I came here from the south side of Chicago so I have seen a lot of homeless people,” said Gross. “It’s really sad but I think its great to be able to give back even if it’s in this simple way.”
Reach the reporter at mjgordo1@asu.edu Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
