In an effort to raise awareness of homelessness in the local community, Students for 60,000 ran their annual event, SHANTY (an acronym “Shelter the Homeless And Needy This Year), on Saturday, November 9th. To simulate the “homeless experience,” students slept outside in below-freezing temperatures in self-provided cardboard boxes. To participate in the event, each student was required to raise a minimum of $100 which would in turn be donated to various food pantries and homeless shelters on Long Island. As always, the Students members went way above the bar and as a club, raised over $22,000.
Students began setting up their boxes around the front of the school at 7:00 pm. After the students settled in, they went inside to listen to three guest speakers. The first to speak was Peter White, a former teacher at Northport and the founder of Students for 60,000. He reminded the students of the importance of SHANTY and commended them on what they had accomplished through the club so far. White’s empowering speech urged members to carry on the legacy of the club by continuing to help the community and the world. The next two speakers shared personal stories about how homelessness has impacted their lives. One of the speakers was homeless for while, but now actively volunteers at the Northport Food Pantry. For many, this was the first time learning that people in the local community struggle with hunger and shelter. Nonetheless, these stories added a new level of meaning to SHANTY; all the students felt obligated to understand what homeless people have to experience every night.
The students were given a bagged dinner consisting of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a small bag of chips, and a water bottle, food similar to what is provided in homeless shelters. Although it was a difficult night, exasperated by frigid temperatures, the 170 participating students managed to pull through. Around 5:30 am, the students were allowed to go home. As always, the students realized how lucky they were to have a nice, warm bed to return to. However, this is not the reality for the actual homeless, who can’t escape the cold temperatures. For them, every night is like SHANTY.