University of Wisconsin students and Madison residents will rally volunteers for local shelters and food banks tomorrow as part of the 23rd annual national Hunger Cleanup.

The Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group will participate in the event, which will begin with a rally and registration at 9 a.m. on Library Mall. Following the registration, refreshments and rally, volunteers will disperse the collected goods to seven local food pantries and homeless shelters.

UW freshman Lindsey Berger, a WISPIRG intern, said the event is an important way for local residents and students to aid in the fight against hunger and homelessness while also learning about its effects.

"I think that, as Americans, we are very privileged, and we don't really understand what hunger is," Berger said. "But it afflicts so many people in the world."
Berger said money raised during the event would be split between a few different organizations that work to help those affected by hunger and homelessness. Half the money raised will go to Porchlight, Inc. — a local men's shelter. Fifteen percent of the proceeds will go to help those affected by hunger in Darfur and Zimbabwe, and 35 percent will be donated to the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness.

UW sophomore Emily Christian said WISPIRG set a fundraising goal of $5,000 and hoped the money would help come up with solutions for the cause.
"[NSCAHH] come(s) up with solutions which are incredibly important when we're talking about hunger and homelessness," Christian said.

Students involved in WISPIRG have been planning and raising funds since the beginning of this semester, holding events to gather support from sponsors for their volunteer efforts on Saturday.

Fundraising on local, national and international levels is important, according to Berger, who said volunteers will see the face of hunger during the event Saturday.

"Some people feel that there is little we can do to help," Berger said. "This is one thing you can do to make an impact."

Interested volunteers are encouraged to come help with the effort against hunger and homelessness on Saturday. Students do not need to be a part of WISPIRG and can come individually and register at the start of the event.

"If [volunteers] want to come out and help us on Saturday, we'd really appreciate it," Christian said. "It would be an awesome way to get involved with the community and see the solutions we can make — through these organizations — for hunger and homelessness in Madison."