VSU students host fundraiser for local homeless shelter

Making a difference...

April 21, 2023

Matthew Crumley,

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State University and LAMP New Horizons Shelter have teamed up have teamed up for a food drive fundraiser to help those in need.

LAMP is an acronym that stands for Lowndes Associated Ministries to People. It runs the New Horizons Shelter.

“My students said they didn’t want to just talk about the problems, they wanted to get involved and make a difference. So they wanted to host this fundraiser for the local homeless shelter LAMP,” said Thomas Hochschild, Professor of Sociology.

The students and staff bid on items where proceeds will be donated to feeding the homeless.

“Yeah, it was a really nice silent auction. We had students that donated items, faculty members, even our dean donated an item. So people in the community donated,” said Hochschild.

LAMP director Yourshema Flanders tells me that this event was the first of many with Valdosta State University.

“All of them wanted to know what could they do to help and so this was just the first step and their already talking about the next things they could possibly do to help with our neighbors cause that’s who the homeless are,” said Flanders.

You can donate to the lamp shelter by simply going to their website at https://www.lampinc.org/give-help1.

Cameron Sanders reporting.