Helping the Homeless: Students sleep in cardboard homes as part of Hunger and Homelessness Week
Kyle Terwillegar huddled in a cardboard box outside of Charles V. Park Library with nothing but a sleeping bag and a coat as temperatures reached the low 30s early Tuesday morning.
But the Freeland junior isn’t homeless — he eschewed his bed for a cause. He was one of about 40 volunteers who took shifts sitting outside in cardboard boxes in Central Park during the 24-hour event.
Terwillegar said sleeping outside from midnight to 7 a.m. was worse than he expected. He only got about two hours of sleep because of the cold.
“I was miserable just that one night; I can’t imagine doing it night after night because I have no other option,” he said. “It was an eye-opening experience for me. Before, homelessness was more of a concept to me, but after sleeping in that box it became real.”
As people walked by Tuesday, they could read the messages painted on signs and boxes with facts about homelessness.
Cardboard City was just one of the many events being put on in line with Hunger and Homelessness Week. Greenville junior Troy Heffron of the Volunteer Center helped plan Cardboard City and said it is definitely something they look forward to putting on in the future.
“It’s a way to remember to be thankful for what we have and that we have this obligation to be a good community member and give back to others,” Heffron said. “It’s another way that we can raise awareness and understanding about the issue with hunger and homelessness.”
About 25 people attended a candlelight vigil Tuesday night to wrap up the event. Attendees stood in a circle surrounded by cardboard boxes as they read true stories of homeless men and women and had a moment of silence for every person living without a place to live.
Danielle Schmutz, who works in the Volunteer Center for AmeriCorps VISTA, attended the vigil. While Schmutz said she didn’t sleep outside this year, she has participated the past three years and she enjoys spreading awareness about the issue.
“By raising awareness, it inspires people to do more about it. Hopefully one day it will no longer be an issue,” Schmutz said. “That’s why we’re here, so we can help make that change.”
