8th Dimension

As we watch the commercials on TV and Hulu telling us that one in eight Americans struggles with hunger, let us take a step back this Thanksgiving season and examine the food crisis around us.  Government aid has allowed programs like SHARE, Philabundance, and the food pantries in the greater Philadelphia area to buy more food in an attempt to help feed those most affected by the current economic situation.  Of course, there is no such thing as too much food, but the real shortage is one of volunteers.

While dedicated, the majority of the legwork done to feed Philadelphia’s hungry is done by the elderly, whether it be retired women in their eighties, the seventy-year-old pastor of the local church, or the elderly couple running a food pantry.  There is a dire need for young volunteers, and lots of them.  The call is going out to college students who can contribute a few hours of their time to help serve the hungry in the community.  Whether students want to sort food, serve it, or simply sit and converse with the patrons of the soup kitchen, every single volunteer counts.  With the R5 right off campus, helping the needy is only a train ride away

Right now, 8th Dimension is organizing service projects to help out with the hunger crisis.  At the Old First Reform Church, students can go in as a group and prepare a meal for the patrons of the attached food pantry.  If preparing and serving food isn’t your forte, the pantry needs volunteers to help out in the morning to sort the food donations too.

Project SHARE in Philadelphia and Philabundance are also in need of groups of volunteers to help sort and distribute food.  Contact 8th Dimension to learn more about how you can help!

Learn more about volunteering to fight hunger in the news-

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/65964617.html

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/67881052.html

Help out at Mill Creek Farm this Saturday!

Mill Creek Farm is an educational urban farm in West Philly that utilizes previously vacant land to improve local access to nutritious foods and to promote sustainable resource use by growing and distributing produce and by demonstrating ecological methods of living. To learn more about them go to http://millcreekurbanfarm.org. We will be doing basically whatever they need us to prepare for winter. Be prepared to get dirty!

Saturday, November 21
11:00am- 2:00pm
Farming!

Please email me (asanes@haverford.edu) by Thursday evening to let me know if you want to go and if you have a car (but you can still definitely come even if you don’t drive/have a car).

Hope to see you there,
Milla Sanes

Friday: Dance-a-thon to fight AIDS

“I don’t know if you have heard yet, but the Pre-Health Society and ASN is hosting the first annual Dance-a-Thon on November 13, 2009 at 10pm.  We are fundraising for Philly Fight, which is an AIDS organization in the area.  We would really love for your clubs or organizations to make a team and come out to the Dance-a-Thon!  There will be a $100 prize for the best team at the Dance-a-Thon!  If you’ve already picked up a paper and started forming a team, GREAT! If not, I hope you will reconsider!  We hope to see you all there!” Sign up in the DC

Saturday: Neighbors in Action
Join a group of conscientious community members to fight urban blight! This Saturday, November 14 from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Greater Philadelphia Cares volunteers work alongside residents to beautify the neighborhood and gardening projects across the city.
Email 8dstaff (at) haverford.edu if interested.

Sunday: City Harvest
Come play in the dirt and help out a great community garden that is a part of the City Harvest network. It’s this Sunday, November 15th from 10 to 1pm. Summer-Winter garden is a transformed vacant land that has been turned into a community garden for residents of the West Philly neighborhood and helps to bridge the gap between long-time residents and area students.
Email 8dstaff (at) haverford.edu if interested.

Ongoing:

November 20-22: Philadelphia Marathon
Be part of the Philadelphia Marathon, a world-class athletic event! Be among some two thousand volunteers on hand to support the race. There are opportunities to assist with pre-race activities (packet stuffing, registration, expo, and the information booth.) Race day activities will include course monitors, support at the start, finish, and other parts of the course. There is a role for everyone! Sign up with friends, customs groups, teams, clubs or any other group of people. You can work together and have fun while supporting this wonderful event. All volunteers will receive a free 2009 Marathon Sweatshirt!
Interested? Email 8dstaff(at)haverford.edu (Please sign up by November 13th)

November 20: Oxfam Fast
Skip dinner or eat out Friday, November 20th and the cost of your meal will be donated to Oxfam, a worldwide hunger relief organization.
Stop by the DC all next week to sign up or email 8dstaff(at)haverford.edu

On Friday October 30th the residents of Barclay Hall turned their dorm into a scary Haunted House complete with vampires and one armed men. Children from the surrounding areas were invited to walk through the darkened halls if they dared.  Judging by the screams mingled with the sounds of laughter it seems like both the children and the Barclay
residents had a great time getting into the Halloween Spirit.

PUBLIC SERVICE & ACTION EXPO

Gap Year Adventures to Shape Your Career

Thursday November 5, 2009
11:30am – 1:30pm, HC, Dining Center Suken Lounge
2:30pm – 4:30pm, BMC, Campus Center Main Lounge

Attendees As of 10/21/09
AmeriCorps VISTA; AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps; ASAP/After School Activities Partnerships; City Year Greater Philadelphia; Coro Center for Civic Leadership; EducationWorks; Haverford House; HealthCorps; LanguageCorps; Peace Corps; Philadelphia Teacher Residency; Philly Fellows; Quaker United Nations Office; Teach For America

City Year

City Year is currently hiring 17-24 year olds to serve as tutors, mentors, and role models in schools and neighborhoods across Philadelphia.

Join City Year for an Open House on November 4th any time between 2:00-7:00pm.

For more information or to apply, please visit cityyear.org or call 267.386.7035

Stitch ‘n’ Bitch is Haverford’s knitting and crochet charity group.  We meet on Tuesday nights in James House and work on handmade projects for people in need.  We create handknit love to keep Philadelphia warm.

Field Trip to Philly

On October 3rd, we took a field trip into Philadelphia for bonding and yarn buying at Loop on South Street and Rosie’s Yarn Cellar on Locust Street.  If you’re interested in coming by to just sit and knit with us, feel free to bring your own projects!, or we can provide needles and yarn  It’s a very casual hang-out-and-eat-cookies kind of group.  We can also teach you how to knit or crochet, if you’ve got an itch to learn!
For more information, email Elinor (ehickey@haverford.edu).

Hey all,

There is an opportunity to work on Weavers Way’s Saul CSA this Wednesday, October 21st from 4:00 to 6:00pm. This is a great chance to get outside while the weather is still good and experience a functioning production urban farm. For more information about this farm and Weavers Way go to http://weaversway.coop/index.php?page=saul-csa. There is room for about 3-6 people, so let me know as soon as possible.

I know that this is late notice, but please email me (asanes@hc) by tomorrow morning if you would like to go. Also let me know if you have a car and would be willing to carpool because the farm isn’t very SEPTA accessible.

Heston is an elementary school on Lancaster Ave in Philly.  Once a week, we head down to Heston for two hours.  Each person tutors two or three students, one at a time, for 45 or 30 mins, respectively.  We tutor the same students every week to establish a relationship.  The students are mostly kids from first to fourth grade whose teachers think they need little extra help with math or reading.

Our first week of tutoring will be this week, starting October 19th!

For more information, email Amy Labar (alabar@hc)

Upcoming Fall Break Events!
Staying here for fall break?  Volunteer!

Help at a Halloween themed movie to benefit Freedom Playground on Saturday
October 17 from 5-9pm !  Freedom Playground seeks to build playgrounds accessible to children of all abilities.  They are currently trying to build one in Havertown.

Breast Cancer Walk
Cheer on the walkers from the Three Day Breast Cancer Walk!  Saturday October 17th.

Campus Book Drive
Bring your old books from home to donate Better World Books!  The donated books will be sold online to generate funding for a non-profit literacy group.

Philly Aids Walk
On Saturday October 18th the Philly Aids walk needs your help!  Volunteers are needed to help with anything ranging from crowd control to manning tents.
For more info. Email jdubow@hc or khoskins@hc
Upcoming Events After Fall Break!

Boo at the Zoo!
Help with Halloween themed games and arts and crafts at the Philadelphia
Zoo! Saturday or Sunday October 24, 25.  Shifts from 10-4.

Halloween Dance with Don Guanella!
On October 28th from 6-9 Don Guanella, a school for boys with special
needs, need volunteers to help out with its Halloween dance.

As always, if you have any questions or are interested email  8dstaff at haverford.edu

1-on-1 tutoring will hold an informal orientation this Wednesday in Ryan Gym at 9pm. We will be talking about the logistics of the program and answering any questions. If you can’t make it but would like to be part of the program, please e-mail Katie (kengland@hc) or Sam (spermutt@hc)