The annual Shack-A-Thon week started Monday with student volunteers from 40 different campus organizations raising money for Habitat for Humanity. During Shack-A-Thon, students both build and live in shacks in the Brickyard for a week.
“I really love the idea of building a shack,” said Tre Dennis, a second-year studying polymer and color chemistry. “Last year just walking by I was like ‘oh this is kind of cool,’ but now that I’m in an organization that does it, it’s really enjoyable.”
Dennis volunteered at the Caldwell Fellows shack, where a plethora of plants was on sale. He was positive about the reception they were getting.
According to Dennis, succulents were sold out within the first few hours and they managed to sell all of their original shipment of flora.
“We don’t really stop and think that this is actually how some people live,” said Chandler Marr, a second-year studying communication, who volunteered at the Caldwell Fellows shack. “I was thinking I’m really lucky that I don’t have to live like this.”
Alex Calderon, a first-year studying life sciences, was the co-chair of fundraising for the Impact Leadership and Engineering Village. Their shack featured a live goat and a number of petting zoo animals including ducks, rabbits and baby chicks, all borrowed from a member’s family’s petting zoo.
Calderon says that he had never done fundraising before Shack-A-Thon.
“I’m not sure what I had in mind,” Calderon said. “I heard rumors last year about how our shack hadn’t done so well, so I was definitely really nervous this year. The reception has been good and the energy is really great and positive. I think we’ve definitely broken some of our expectations from last year.”
Garnett Bullock, a fifth-year studying sustainable materials and technology, is volunteering for his third year. The shack he is affiliated with is the combined effort of the NC State Stewards, the EcoVillage and University Recreation. He was primarily proud of the effort that had gone into their shack.
“It wasn’t the simplest and stress-free way to go about it, but that was the fun of it,” Bullock said. “My favorite thing is just popping in. I’m not even signed up for any slots during the week, just because I plan on just popping in for hours at a time during the day.”
Shack-A-Thon will continue through Friday in the Brickyard. For more information on Shack-A-Thon, visit http://shackathon.org.
Katie Brooks, a second-year studying art and design and current Caldwell Fellow, paints a landscape on small stones Wednesday to be sold at the Caldwell Fellows shack during Shack-A-Thon. In addition to Brooks' miniature paintings, the Caldwell Fellows shack sold plants, second-hand clothing, pressed fern art pieces and baked goods to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.
