According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 89,503 people were homeless in New York in 2017. Students at Cornwell Avenue Elementary School, in West Hempstead, learned firsthand what it might be like to live like them, without some of their favorite possessions. In November, they took part in the Family and Children’s Association’s Give Up to Give campaign to increase awareness of homelessness on Long Island.
“Our goal was to really get kids to be aware that this is how life is for some children,” said Elyssa Mayer, the school’s psychologist, who organized the campaign. “On one hand, we want them to appreciate the families and the things they have, and also recognize people that are in need.”
In addition to making a small donation, students were asked to give up things like video games, toys and candy for a week to understand how homelessness affects approximately 1,800 youths in Nassau County, according to the FCA. “It was almost like Lent,” Mayer said. “Even if it’s only for a week, we hope that at the end of that week, when they get those items back, they’ll appreciate [them] just a little bit more.”
Even though this was the first time students had participated in this campaign, many of them are still practicing what they learned from the experience. Ten-year-old Madison Cates gave up eating late-night snacks. “I was only a little hungry when I stopped having my nighttime snacks,” she said. “But then I thought about all the other kids that don’t have anything to eat. I learned that I shouldn’t take what I have for granted.”
Kayla Charles, an 8-year-old third-grader who gave up watching TV for a week, said it was difficult at first, but she found other ways to spend her time. “When I don’t watch TV,” she said, “I go outside and play on my trampoline, and I play tag with my sister.”