U.C. Program Aids Homeless

The Undergraduate Council last week agreed to sponsor a program that urges students to donate their Saturday lunches to the First Church Shelter in Cambridge.

This Saturday at 11:30 a.m., the students of Lowell House will join the "Share a Lunch with the Homeless" program by ordering bag lunches from the dining services and giving them to a group of homeless people at a picnic in front of the house.

Each week for the rest of the semester, the undergraduate houses will take turns sponsoring lunch with residents of the First Church Shelter. Students may sign up for the program in their houses during the week preceding the Saturday meal.

Portable

"The idea is a simple one," said Peter H. Vroomen '88, who came up with the project. "A bag lunch is a very portable thing." Vroomen said he often orders bag lunches, and that it occured to him that they could easily be donated to a shelter.

A member of the Residential Committee of the Undergraduate Council, Vroomen said he wanted to do more than "discuss chocolate milk in the house dining halls.

The advantage of this project over a fast is its efficiency, Vroomen said. A fast only generates about $1.25 per person, whereas this method results in a full meal for a homeless person from each student donor.

The program also aims to raise the level of contact between Harvard students and the homeless population of Cambridge.

"I think both sides can learn a lot," Vroomen said.

The homeless are a very diverse group and they have much to say, he said, adding that they are eager to talk in part because they are seldom listened to.

Fifteen to 20 men live at the First Church Shelter, and will participate in this project.

`Improvement'

"The project is a wonderfully big improvement over the days when the administration was putting bars over heating grates," said James Stewart, Director of the First Church Shelter. "I hope the administration will learn from the students."

There is no other free lunch available in Cambridge on Saturdays, Stewart said.

This effort was inspired by an already existing project at Dudley House, Vroomen said. Students of Dudley House cook and serve a meal bi-weekly for the same shelter. Through this program, Vroomen became acquainted with the residents of the shelter.

Expansion of the program is certainly possible, although not likely this year, Vroomen said. The men of the First Church Shelter form only a small portion of the total homeless population in Cambridge.

If the idea sparks interest among students, the project could begin to work with other shelters in the area, including the women's shelter, Vroomen said.

The project is small enough that it will not cause any problems with dining services, which have not yet heard of the program. It effects only one house a week, and in a minimal way, Vroomen said. If the program grows, perhaps other arrangements will be made, he said.