InterVarsity, a Christian fellowship group, intends to go to different local neighborhoods on Halloween night, and instead of asking for candy, they are going to ask for canned good donations to help feed food insecure citizens in Tampa Bay.
According to Metropolitan Ministries, within the Tampa Bay area there are more than 25,000 homeless people, with 17,755 homeless people in Hillsborough County alone.
InterVarsity plans on donating all of the food they collect to an organization called The Well.
“The Well runs something like a food pantry for the homeless. Instead of giving them a bag of goods they stock shelves with what they can and invite
the poor in to shop for what they want,” said Gershom Vacarizas, a member of InterVarsity and a freshman musical theater major. “All while getting to know the people they serve and building real friendships and relationships with them.”
There are approximately 1,500 emergency and transitional shelter beds in Hillsborough County – thus at least 8,000 homeless men, women and children will not be able to find shelter tonight, also from Metropolitan Ministries.
Micah Reum, a Junior Business major runs the InterVarsity men’s bible study on campus.
“I think that this event is awesome,” Reum said. “To have the opportunity to beg on behalf of the homeless is humbling. I know we will probably get rejected in many cases, but to step out in faith for someone else is all worth it.”
Heather Muse, a freshman biology major, was pleasantly surprised to hear of such a generous action.
“I think that it is a really remarkable thing that they are doing,” Muse said. “It shows that people today are not selfish and that they actually want to help and give back to the community.”
Many people who are part of InterVarsity at UT will participate in the event with students from Hillsborough Community College’s InterVarsity. This is the first year that InterVarsity has done anything like this, and they are open to anyone joining in.
“InterVarsity to give to the poor in a very tangible way by supporting ministries that are already in lasting personal relationships with them,” Reum said. “It is our way to build a real community with the people participating while giving them a chance to experience just a small part of Jesus’ giant heart for the poor and oppressed.”
Jesse Long can be reached at jesse.long@spartans.ut.edu