Several Owensboro organizations are joining forces to highlight the challenges of poverty, hunger, and housing insecurity during this year’s Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Three events are being held this week to raise awareness and offer help.
The local effort is being led by the Owensboro Human Relations Commission (OHRC), Daniel Pitino Shelter, Habitat for Humanity, St. Benedict’s Shelter, and the Homeless Coalition of the Ohio Valley. The week is part of a nationwide initiative started in 1975 that now spans communities each year.
The Rev. Rhondalyn Randolph, interim executive director of OHRC, said the partnering groups want residents to better understand the scope of the issues locally while also providing ways to get involved.
“Hunger and homelessness are epidemics that sadly affect too many members of our community,” Randolph said. “We’re working together and organizing Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week to help concerned citizens tackle these issues head-on, rally public support, and call for long-term solutions.”
Randolph said the week will focus on education, service projects, fundraising, and advocacy. She encouraged residents to volunteer and support shelters beyond the annual observance.
“We are a community that’s willing to step up and help in many ways by giving,” she said. “In today’s climate, it is imperative to find commonsense solutions and work together to make life better for the most vulnerable within Owensboro-Daviess County.”
Local data from the OHRC highlights the depth of the challenge. According to the OHRC release, approximately 19.9% of Owensboro residents live in poverty, including 26.5% of Black residents, 32.4% of Hispanic or Latino residents, and 51.5% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents. Roughly 39% of children in Owensboro live below the poverty line, according to the OHRC release.
“Poverty has no time frame and does not discriminate on who it impacts,” Randolph said.
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week will feature a series of public events:
- Property Owners Roundtable — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at the Logsdon Center, 2400 Friendship Drive
- Renters Support Informational Session — 10 a.m.–noon Tuesday at the H.L. Neblett Center, 801 West 5th Street
- “Faces of Homelessness” Panel Discussion — 4:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Blandford Hall on OCTC’s main campus
The national event is co-sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness.
For more information on local observances and volunteer opportunities, visit owensboro.org or contact the Owensboro Human Relations Commission at 270-687-8671.
