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The Center for Civic Engagement at Salem State University is excited to announce the first-ever Vikings Build-A-Bed Challenge on December 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This campus-wide initiative is in partnership with the university’s Athletics Department, A Bed for Every Child, The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, and St. Jean’s Credit Union. The event was created in response to November being hunger and homelessness awareness month, and it is designed to address a challenge of poverty that many families in the North Shore area face.

One in six children in Massachusetts is currently growing up in poverty, and thousands of children are sleeping on floors because their family cannot afford a bed, negatively affecting a child’s development and education. The Vikings Build-a-Bed Challenge will help ensure a good night’s sleep for 50 children living in poverty in the North Shore area. Fifty pairs of Salem State students (or alumni) from various clubs, teams, organizations, classes, and more will come together to build, sand, and paint a bed in one hour. The goal is to build 50 beds in a four-hour period.

This event is sponsored by Salem State’s Center for Civic Engagement, the athletics department at Salem State, A Bed for Every Child, The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, and St. Jean’s Credit Union. The Center for Civic Engagement serves as an integral partner within the greater community striving to creatively address local, regional, and global challenges. This initiative aligns with the vision and mission of the center as it provides students and alumni with a civic engagement opportunity that connects to the greater community. This program also plays an active role in addressing a social justice challenge that directly impacts the residents of the North Shore area.