Every fall the Connector Corps AmeriCorps members work together with the Slippery Rock University Arts Department and local farms to produce an event that recognizes hunger, in our town, country and world.

Together, ceramic bowls are thrown and glazed, food is donated to make soup and bread, advertisements are sent out throughout the area and student/faculty bands are asked to provide the entertainment. Offering a lunch and dinner meal, guests are first asked to stand in line, one often seen at any food kitchen, pick out a bowl in which they will be served their soup and then sit down to hear guest speakers, music and think about hunger.

Often thought of as something that occurs only in developing countries, hunger, and mal nutrition are evident in towns right around Slippery Rock. This event is to not only bring awareness of the issue but also provide an opportunity to help those in need, since the proceeds collected are split between three or so food shelters in the area.

In 1996, Slippery Rock University's AmeriCorps members began tutoring in the Courtside neighborhood. Within days students realized that bi-weekly tutoring could only have minimal impact. They learned that neighborhood children were not the only ones at risk; families were conecomincally at-risk, safety was an issue in the neighborhood, and many people were underemployed. Maximizing children's potential meant becoming a neighbor and not just being in the neighborhood. Thest studnets and those who followed them, pushed for a university-coordinated community center. County Commissioners responded by donating 16 Courtside lots as a center site and another 8 lots for a community garden. The City offered $15,000 which was matched by $10,000 from the State to undertake a feasibility study and master site plan. The study confirmed the need for the center. 

An interim center, the I CARE House, was opened in July 2003, in a leased Victorian house at 602 Court Street. In September 2003, the R.K. Kellogg Foundation funded a mini-grant so SRU service-learning students could prepare the I CARE House's nonprofit application. In January 2004, City of New Castle funds allowed the new nonprofit to purchase the I CARE House. Today approximately 200 children, 55 senior citizens, and 50 volunteers participate in the I CARE House programs each week.

Questions?  Comments?  E-mail us at theinstitute@sru.edu

The Institute for Community, Service-Learning, and Nonprofit Leadership
Slippery Rock University
Robert A. Lowry Center
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
Phone: (724) 738 - CARE
Fax: (724) 738 - 2314
theinstitute@sru.edu
Director: Alice Kaiser-Drobney