BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Jena Gullo, Executive Director of the MSA United Way, is bringing awareness of hunger and homelessness in our community. National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is celebrated each year the week before Thanksgiving. United Way is launching a campaign to help support our homeless and hungry in our community. They are the only shelter in Bismarck that is open 24/7. Last night, they sheltered 141 homeless men, women and families in the community. Gullo says, “The beautiful thing about building this permanent homeless shelter in our community is that we’re able to help families feel safe.”

Walk a Mile in My Shoes is a mile walk to a local soup kitchen to demonstrate what it’s like to be homeless.

The MSA United Way has a backpack program that feeds 1,654 kids over the weekend. For $5 now, you can sponsor a child, grab a lawn sign, and display it next week to advocate for all the hungry children in the community. “We need your support,” Gullo says.

Get more information from the MSA United Way online. Learn more about Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and Walk a Mile in My Shoes here.