MoPIRG’s “Don’t Gamble on Hunger” event on March 3 and 4 had mock casino games to raise money for the Hunger Cleanup event on April 4.
Amy Winstead
-Staff Writer-
Students who made a donation were given fake money to play poker, blackjack or spin the “Chuck-a-Luck Wheel.” Money donated at the mock casino event went to a local shelter and a student campaign to end hunger.
“The [blind] is a dollar and two dollars,” said MoPIRG intern, Nick Rekart, 19, political science major.
Rekart learned games such as black jack in high school and here took the casino dealer role for Texas Hold ‘em.
The game started as the players put fake money into the center of the table.
Everyone checked once around, and then student Kurtis Stoltzs went all in, attempting to “buy” everyone out. His strategy failed, but he was only playing for fake money and everyone enjoyed the ruse.
“We thought that the mock casino would take a non-traditional approach to fundraising and make it more interesting for students to participate in,” said MoPIRG intern Steven Maher.
The Chuck-a-Luck wheel resembled a vertical wheel of fortune or roulette.
“The Chuck-a-Luck wheel was the most popular. Five [fake] bucks on a three and if it lands on a three-three-three, you get 15 bucks back. We had a guy play it yesterday for an hour and half straight,” Guise said.
Using the fake money they won, students could bid in an auction for small items including a deck of cards and other games.
Students could also purchase sweets from the event’s concurrent bake sale. Summer Johnson, 20, a public relations major and MoPIRG member, baked cupcakes with sprinkles and Rice Krispies.
“With the current event, we are just trying to raise a couple hundred bucks,” said Robert Guise, Meramec’s MoPIRG coordinator. MoPIRG’s goal is to raise $3000 between now and April 4.
“The point of the event is to contribute money. One hundred percent of every dollar that gets donated goes straight toward the hunger cleanup,” Guise said.
On April 4 the MoPIRG interns and others will volunteer at Our Ladies Inn, one of the organizations that the proceeds from this event will be going to.
Our Ladies Inn is a shelter for pregnant women or women who recently gave birth. Students who volunteer will repair and restock the food pantry, play with children, and do other maintenance.
Anyone who would like to donate or sign up to volunteer can go to www.hungercleanup.org. If there are enough volunteers, MoPIRG will send volunteers to another shelter.
“It’s a nation-wide campaign that we run in roughly 30 states. One of the main events that we do each spring for the national student campaign against hunger and homelessness is our hunger cleanup, which is the philanthropic event that works to get students involved in local homeless shelters and food pantries in their surrounding area.
“But they also help raise money, half of which goes toward a local charity of our choosing. 35 percent goes toward the National Student Campaign on hunger and homelessness, and then 15 percent goes toward an international poverty relief agency.
“So it’s a cool way to kind of get students involved with their local community and also raise money to alleviate poverty locally, nationally and internationally,” Guise said.
Locally, the money will go to the shelter. Nationally, money donated will fund the staff of Homelessness Policy Experts and Organizers who conduct research on poverty and the federal poverty programs. International donations will go toward emergency medical supplies and food for refugees in Darfur and Sudan refugee camps and a program called Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe that offers young girls legal and social support to avoid physical and sexual abuse.
“This is my first semester with MoPIRG. MoPIRG is about giving back to the community in numerous ways. The Hunger Cleanup is focused on hunger and the homeless. Seeing the problem will encourage people to donate time or money, which would be great,” said Jackie Reckenridge, communication and Spanish major.
The Hunger Cleanup, a work-a-thon benefit, started 25 years ago in 1984 by students at Aquinas College in Michigan.
In the early 1980s, federal low-income housing programs were being cut nationally and the increase in the number of homeless and those depending on soup kitchens caught the attention of students with time and energy to give.
In the first year, Grand Rapids students raised $10,000. This year according to the website, the Hunger Cleanup has a goal of raising $100,000 and having 10,000 students volunteer in their communities.
“I always give [the] $7 at registration at the very least. MoPIRG contributes to Meramec by [increasing] participation and community involvement in events and issues,” said Kurtis Stoltz, 20, finance major.
Meramec is the only college MoPIRG chapter in the state of Missouri.
“Our goal is outreach, to contact high schools and other colleges to volunteer or donate,” Guise said.
One intern is determined to make outreach his personal objective.
“My goal for this semester is outreach to other campuses” Rekart said.
Other MoPIRG campaigns this semester include an end of the semester book swap to alleviate the cost of books for students, an Earth Day event and public transportation advocacy.
MoPIRG interns are trained to organize and plan events to make community efforts constructive.
“Through MoPIRG, we gain an educational experience in democratic citizenship. In addition, we get a chance to face up to society’s big problems, take action, and win concrete changes that improve the quality of our lives,” according to the MoPIRG mission statement at www.mopirgstudents.org/mission.
