Spending a night in another’s box

  • By Curtis Robert Tyree
  • February 5, 2010
  • 574
                        
In what has become an annual tradition, the youth of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Dover spent a night outside in the frigid January temperatures, with just a fire, sleeping bags and blankets to keep them warm. There were no cell phones, computers or electronics to occupy the time. The night outside was created to raise awareness of homelessness in Tuscarawas County, and to take donations for the Friends of the Homeless shelter in New Philadelphia. Ten youth members braved the cold Jan. 23 to spend the night outside then give testimonials in church the following morning. “This was the third year for our lockout. So far, it has become a popular event for the youth of the church. Most all of them look forward to it, especially the younger ones. We have some who cannot wait for their chance to spend the night outside,” said Belinda Lentz, director of Christian education for St. John’s UCC. “We got the idea from a presentation another congregation gave several years ago at our synod wide gathering and we decided it was something we wanted to do. Rather than have it in the summer when it would be warmer and easier, we decided to hold it in the winter, when it’s colder and rougher because people don’t get a choice of temperatures when they’re homeless. We wanted it to be harder for us so it would be more impactful. “The lockout is one of several programs we do during the year to help the youth realize what others go through. We held a 30-hour ‘famine’ wherein we did not eat anything for 30 hours, so we could experience firsthand what many people around the world experience every single day: hunger. Experiencing firsthand what those who are less fortunate experience is what I want the youth to take away from activities such as this lockout. It’s easier to read about it and hear stories, but to actually experience it makes a bigger impact.” In what can be blamed on the downturn in the economy, donations for the homeless shelter were lower than the previous two years. But for the youth who huddled around a small fire surrounded by cardboard boxes that served as their shelter for the night, the importance of what they were doing was not lost despite the low donations. “It’s important to help those less fortunate, and we need to help the homeless,” said first year lockout participant David Warther. “I’ve been looking forward to doing this for a while now. It’s a good thing to make people aware of what’s going on around here.” “We had members at the shelter who were excited about the lockout,” said Julie Price, from Friends of the Homeless. “They’re excited that the youth were trying to raise awareness about what’s going on.” Seeing youngsters around a fire surrounded by boxes caused people along Wooster Avenue to slow down and look. Yet, many drove by and never noticed, just like in larger cities where the problem of homelessness is a much bigger issue. “As part of our synod gathering this past year, the youth did three days of service work in Grand Rapids, Mich.,” said Lentz. “It was three days of hard work in a major city, completely different from the work we do annually in Kentucky. It was a chance for them to see how hard life can be in a major city.” One of the cars that stopped to give a donation to the shelter included three children, who wanted to see the boxes and learn what was going on. “Our kids wanted to give their Christmas money to help the homeless, and they wanted to see the boxes as well,” said Rachel Ice of Dover. “We’ve wanted to give to the shelter for a while now, but didn’t know how, so when we heard about their lockout, we decided to stop by and give here. It was also a great chance for the kids to see how others have to live.” Most nights, the shelter on E. High is full, so for those not fortunate enough to have a spot at the shelter or a car to sleep in, cardboard boxes can and sometimes do act as barriers against the elements. For the youth of St. John’s UCC, simple cardboard boxes served as a learning tool, for themselves and for the community.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load