Students were asked on hump day, Wednesday, Nov. 8, to support the Urban Readers Association in conjunction with the Focusing Families Shelter by donating clothing and books for a literature and clothing drive. This is the first year the Urban Readers Association has sponsored this drive.President Jamaur Barnes and Community Service Chair Latasha Woodson shared their purpose for sponsoring such an important drive. “A new shelter is being built for battered men and women in Waller County at the beginning of next year and the goal of the Urban Readers Association is to make sure that the families have clothing and books,” Barnes said. “Since Monday, we’ve contacted offices on campus, other organizations as well as students to help with donations.”
Barnes is also using the popularity of hump day to reach a greater number of students. He said, “We’ll be here every Wednesday until Dec. 6. We’ll also have boxes set up in every building in the UC so that students can donate their items.” Heather Stoutmeister, executive director of Focusing Families, said in a phone interview that the “donations will go to support the women’s center and nonresident clients who will have the opportunity to pick what they need and the surplus of donations will be sent to thrift shops.”
Stoutmeister said that although this is the first year Focusing Families has collaborated with the Urban Readers Association, the shelter has had a history of partnering with several fraternities, sororities and departments and organizations at Prairie View, most notably the P.E.A.C.E. Project, which Stoutmeister said, is “an exciting new venture for us and we were excited when we were invited to participate in an effort to help get the word out to stop violence.”
Stoutmeister said those who are unable to donate on campus may drop off their items with Maria Cruz at the Crisis Center located across the street from the County Courthouse in Hempstead.
Barnes invites students to come to the Urban Readers Association’s meetings held every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the student lounge of the MSC.