On Sunday, September 12, IYAG’s Poverty and Education MDG group organized a donation drive for Miriam’s Kitchen at the 9/11 Unity Walk. Founded in 1983, Miriam’s Kitchen provides free, homemade meals and high-quality support services to more than 4,000 homeless men and women each year in Washington, D.C. At the Unity Walk, the group collected men’s jeans and underwear to donate to the organization, as well as hygiene items like deoderant, soap and razors – filling an entire car with donations. Below, Lisa Croswell, a member of the Pov/Education group and a junior at HB Woodlawn High School, talks about the drive and the Unity Walk:
On September 12, 2010, the Poverty and Education MDG group – myself, Marcus, Stephen, Paloma, and Elise – organized a donation drive for Miriam’s Kitchen during the 9/11 Unity Walk. Elise, Paloma and I started out the fundraiser along with our mentor Mahrukh and IYAG program manager Sana outside the National Gurdwara, a Sikh house of worship, a short while before the actual Unity Walk began. As the Walk’s start time drew near, more and more people showed up to the Gurdwara, and more than a few people asked if we were the group who was taking canned food donations. (No, we weren’t. That was a different group.)
After the official opening of the Walk and the eventual dissipation of most of the crowds, we took down the signs, table, and all the donations and migrated to the Islamic Center, where Stephen and Marcus took over the manning of the table while Paloma and I went around to the various houses of worship, where we met some very cool people from many different faiths.
In all, the drive went quite well. I don’t know for certain how much we collected, but it will benefit the chronically homeless of Washington, DC. That, in my opinion, was the best part of the Walk.
Some photos from the Unity Walk & the Miriam’s Kitchen donation drive:
Lisa in front of the donation table at the Sikh Gurdwara
They found a nun!
Lisa, mentor Marukh, Elise & Sara and Ariana from the women's MDG group!
Stephen & Marcus at the Islamic Center
Lisa & Paloma!
