The Facts: Shack-A-Thon is an annual event put on by student organizations to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Shack-A-Thon has raised thousands of dollars this week and will be reaching its conclusion today.
Our Opinion: Poverty levels in the U.S. have exceeded 15 percent of the population, and we are in a position to do something about it. Shack-A-Thon offers the opportunity to fundraise to combat this issue, an opportunity everyone should take.
Over the past week you may have walked through the Brickyard and chuckled at those hold up in their shacks during Shack-A-Thon; however, what these people and this event stand for is no laughing matter. They are giving up their time, often hours at a time, to help combat poverty.
A person who is in poverty is said to possess a less than socially acceptable amount of goods, either monetary or material. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services outlines poverty thresholds according to family size. For a family of four the threshold is $22,350, and for an individual the threshold is $10,890.
The estimated annual cost for a full-time undergraduate education at N.C. State placed at $18,427. Our educational expenses alone are almost double the poverty threshold for an individual. Our economic situation makes it hard for us to imagine anyone living off less than $11,000; however, many people do.
The United States Census Bureau recently released a report outlining poverty 2010 poverty rates; the report’s findings are hard to stomach. 15.1 percent of Americans live beneath the poverty line; this is the highest portion of the population in 17 years. 20.5 million people live in deep poverty (below half of the poverty line). 16.4 million children were recorded as being under the poverty line in 2010, the highest amount of children beneath the poverty line since 1962 according to the New York Times.
There is no need to feel powerless when confronting these statistics, as you can help those in need. In fact, one avenue for assistance is in your very own Brickyard. Shack-A-Thon is a yearly event, comprised of organizations all over campus. Each organization creates a shack and through their shacks they fundraise, yielding thousands of dollars for Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat for Humanity is the world leader in providing housing for those in poverty. A house is a new beginning, and a way to help jumpstart lives. 2008 marked the 300,000th new beginning given by Habitat for Humanity.
If the cause of helping those in need is not appealing by itself, Shack-A-Thon offers a lot more for your donation. There is a shack that offers a cruise raffle for your donation. Other shacks offer delicious food. Some shacks give you the chance to pie a person in the face. And some shacks are offering their value in the actual shack – check out the Solar Shack by the College of Design.
With today being the last day of Shack-A-Thon, it is your last day to reap all it has to offer. Go, have fun, be entertained, donate, and – most of all – know that your donation is making a serious difference.
