A pizza-themed mural on the side of Donatos located at 2084 N. High Street. Credit: Daniel Bush | Campus Photo Editor
On Thursday, the Donatos Basement will transform into a comedy club as Heart for the Unhoused brings a unique twist to its fundraising efforts.
In partnership with the Buckeye Standup Comedy Club, Heart for the Unhoused at Ohio State will host a stand-up comedy fundraiser at 2084 N. High St. at 6 p.m.
Open to the public, comedians from the comedy club will perform original sets. Ticket proceeds will be allocated towards creating medical and hygiene kits for the local unhoused community.
Cammy Wichert, president of the organization and a fourth-year in biology said there are multiple gaps to fill with creating these kits like hand warmers when it’s cold.
“Some of the things that go in these [kits] are basic hygiene products,” Wichert said. “Wound care kits are especially popular and in very high demand that have gauze, Band-Aids, wound wash, antiseptic, things like that to prevent people from having to go to the ER.”
This fundraiser is the newest initiative of Heart for the Unhoused, an organization dedicated to serving the unhoused population in Columbus and the surrounding area by providing resources and making care more accessible, Wichert said.
“We’re really trying to minimize barriers to care, whether that is getting medical kits that we are handing out to people in encampments, fundraising so that we can hold initiatives like laundry days, or book clubs,” Wichert said. “We’re really trying to better the lives of people living on the streets and decrease the stigma that they may experience from the general public.”
The organization focuses its efforts on local unhoused people to ease the obstacles they face in accessing resources, said Rishi Dhayananth, a third-year in health sciences and director of advancement for the organization.
“We serve the unhoused community because, oftentimes, it’s mostly just systemic barriers. It’s just a result of housing costs, barriers to access for healthcare, and general economic instability, so supporting this population is really just about equity and restoring opportunity for everybody,” Dhayananth said.
The rate of homelessness in 2024 increased six times faster than the population growth of Franklin County, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
“We are one of the largest growing cities in the country,” Wichert said “With people coming to live here and continuing to utilize housing, it is raising costs and people are getting displaced that have lived here their whole lives and more people are ending up on the streets than we’ve ever seen before. It really hits home for us as we see the rate of homelessness just continue to rise.”
College students are in a unique position to provide aid because of the sense of community many of them share, Wichert said.
“We want to help these people in whatever ways we can and we recognize that we have privilege as college students. We are able to get more attention and fundraise,” Wichert said. “With college students, people are like ‘I love Ohio State, I would love to help people out.’ We have that unique ability to gain more attention for these issues.”
Beyond attending the event, Wichert encouraged students to get involved in other ways.
Wichert said that students can volunteer with local shelters and outreach organizations. Heart for the Unhoused also hosts regular events and donation drives that allow students to aid the Columbus unhoused population, Wichert said.
She also recommended students to educate themselves about the homeless within the Ohio State community and to treat them with respect and empathy.
“Recognize that these are just normal people,” Wichert said. “Nobody ever plans to be homeless, and it could happen to any of us.”
Wichert said students can still help the unhoused community, even if students are not in the organization.
“It’s important to recognize the privilege that we all have that we are able to offer a helping hand to our unhoused neighbors as we wish other people would do for us if we were in the same situation,” Wichert said.
Through regular events, Heart for the Unhoused engages students and provides opportunities for service, Dhayananth said.
“Even small and consistent actions can make a real difference in our community,” he said.
Dhayananth hopes that the stand-up comedy fundraiser will also foster dialogue and inspire attendees to get involved.
“Having community building events like this opens up opportunities for conversations to happen in this space,” Dhayananth said. “I think that the more we talk about it, the more we’re indirectly advocating for these issues.”
The event will give attendees a chance to enjoy an evening together while supporting an important cause, Wichert said.
“Sharing a laugh is a great way to bring people together and remind our attendees, our club members, and even the community that we can support serious issues and involve joy with compassion for their situations,” Wichert said.
For more information on this event and future events, visit the organization’s Instagram page.
