November 16-22, 2025, is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Worldwide, there are 795 million people who don’t have enough to eat. Many Americans are forced to choose between buying groceries, paying rent, or seeking medical attention. Locally, over 200 students are reported homeless annually by Columbia Public Schools. Learn more about Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
To bring awareness to hunger and homelessness in our community, we have partnered with Flourish Initiative to create a CommunityMade book list. Flourish is a local non-profit focused on supporting youth and young adults experiencing homelessness and other significant socioeconomic barriers to college and career success. They help youth through transitional housing for ages 16-24 who are experiencing homelessness. Flourish has a street outreach program that provides basic needs and case management to support youth and young adults who are experiencing homelessness with the goal of accessing housing.
To be eligible for Flourish’s transitional housing and street outreach program, youth must be experiencing literal homelessness, at imminent risk of homelessness (within 14 days), or fleeing domestic violence. Discover how Flourish Initiative supports local youth.
Every person deserves food on their plate and a roof over their head. If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness or hunger, the library has resources to help. You can find more information on our website or stop in one of our locations. This Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, it is more important than ever before to offer kindness and generosity to our neighbors who are experiencing hardships due to restrictions on life-saving resources such as SNAP.
How can you help?
Volunteer. Pitch in at your area food bank or shelter. Check out the library’s list of Boone and Callaway shelters and food resources.
Donate. Support local programs with food, clothing, and money. From now until November 26, the library is doing a Warm Winter Clothing Drive. All of our library locations will be collecting gently used or new hats, gloves, socks, scarves, sweaters or coats for all ages and in all sizes.
Educate. Raise awareness about hunger and homelessness in your community. Check out a book or watch a movie from our Flourish CommunityMade list. You can also check out our other organizations’ CommunityMade lists in the library catalog.
