Midnight Run Touches Homeless
By Francisco Mora

     Launching a new season of Midnight Run, 18 members of Rider University’s Black Student Union (BSU) hit the streets of Manhattan one September night last month to hand out food and clothing to New York City’s homeless.
     Their collective effort is a Rider tradition. Although the Midnight Run is organized by a consortium of more than 100 churches, synagogues and schools in the New York metropolitan area, Rider’s Multicultural Center and Campus Ministry coordinate the university’s involvement under the direction of the Rev. Nancy Schluter, Protestant Chaplain, and Don Brown, director of the Multicultural Center.
     Volunteers meet at the Multicultural Center at 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month and return to campus approximately at 3 a.m. through the month of May. Prior to their trip, they gather at the Center to make sandwiches and pack blankets and other personal care items for those in need.
     It was a humbling experience for many BSU members, who were accompanied on the streets by a MidNight Run guide.
     “I cannot imagine being unable to go home each night and sleep in my own bed,” said Katrina Brown, a senior communication major and BSU’s public relations co-chairperson. She and fellow BSU members saw many homeless individuals huddled in huge cardboard boxes in alleys. “It has given us greater understanding of what homeless people go through,” she added.
     At first hesitant about taking the trip, Samantha Gordon, a junior communication major was glad that she changed her mind. “I did not want to see people living under such poor conditions,” said Gordon, BSU vice president. “These individuals did not want our pity. They just needed us to help them and we were grateful to be able to do that.”
     According to Adrienne Gillespie, a sophomore psychology major, BSU members did more than just hand out blankets and sandwiches; they spoke and interacted with people from all walks of life.
     She places high value on the overall learning experience. “I like to give back to those less fortunate,” Gillespie said. “I’m a better person because of this.”
     To sum up her feelings, she quotes Marion Wright Edelman: “Service is rent we pay for living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time or after you have reached your personal goals.”
     The next Midnight Run is scheduled for Wednesday, October 16. Those who wish to participate may call the Multicultural Center at ext. 5781 or contact Jenn Szczytkowski at Gill Memorial Chapel at ext. 5372.

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