In their shoes
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on November 24, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
From left, Amanda Parker and Kim Honeycutt serve food to Samantha Eovine, 11, and other participants of Cardboard City at Herman Park on Saturday night. More than 60 local residents spent the night outdoors to experience how the homeless live.
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The Herman Park Center lawn was littered with "Cardboard City" residents on Saturday night.
I was one of them.
We elected to give up our homes for a night to get a glimpse of what homelessness is really like.
More than 60 people stayed to camp out in the park. Some people decorated the boxes with wrapping paper or spray paint. Others taped plastic bags to open boxes, hoping to keep the heat in.
The more prepared unpacked tents.
Even inside an igloo of industrial cardboard, it was quickly apparent how uncomfortable -- and cold -- sleeping on the ground was going to be.
But the evening was a celebration. More than 150 people came to help with the hygiene kits and learn about the growing problem of homelessness in Wayne County. Local church bands served as entertainment. We were served chili dogs at 6 p.m. and doughnuts before lights out.
I was still hungry.
The residents gathered around fires to talk and laugh as it got dark.
"It's a dream realized," said Rhonda Coakley, president of Cardboard City. "We are very blessed with the weather."
Shoulder to shoulder, we stood around the blazing trash cans.
The low on Saturday night was 37 degrees.
It felt a lot colder when sleeping on the ground.
Even with layers of clothing, I clutched my pair of hot hands throughout the evening.
Many of the teenage residents gave up on texting, opting to keep their hands warm in pockets instead -- which might be the truest testament to how cold it felt.
"We can go in and get warm," Ms. Coakley reminded those participating. "The homeless are having to walk around the city."
Local lawyer Billy Strickland spoke at the event about his own past and the problem of homelessness.
He said that he continues to squirrel food away and shake the milk carton, a throwback to when he had to mix water into the cardboard carton.
"Those things stay with you," he said.
Strickland encouraged residents not to make assumptions about homeless people. He said not all are drunks or on drugs, he said. Some are just down on their luck.
"With just a little bit of help in my life, I was able to be successful," Strickland said. "If you have money, give money, if you have time, give time."
The proceeds benefited the HGDC Community Crisis Center. Carolyn Buffalo spoke to the audience about the needs of the center.
"We're victims of the national economic crisis," she said. "Monthly operational costs continue to sky rocket."
The center runs a soup kitchen, food pantry, clothes closet and bathing center.
"We're always in need of canned food items," she said.
Scott Satterfield of Stoney Creek Church congratulated the overnight residents for their commitment.
"You're actually doing something about homelessness," he said.
He estimated that in the county, 1,700 people are homeless.
"No matter what you think, there is not one child who wanted to be homeless. Out there, somewhere tonight there are 400 children that are some way displaced in Wayne County."
Grayson Collins camped out with her youth group. The 17-year-old has done mission work before.
"On a trip to Atlanta, that's when things really hit with homelessness," she said.
In the morning, Collins talked with her friends about the night outside.
Kayla Acorn, 14, woke up every 30 minutes.
"It was really cold," she said.
Nikki Jackson and her son camped out. Mrs. Jackson got claustrophobic in her box and had to leave it to calm down.
"I thought to myself, there are people who have to do this every night and that really affected me," she said.
But she said she would do it again next year.
"It made me empathetic to the homeless and what they go through each night, because it was not easy," she said.
The youth groups helped serve the pancake breakfast to homeless community members. Free haircuts were offered as well.
I helped in the kitchen, serving up pancakes onto plates. It was humbling to see the people we were helping -- they greeted us with smiles and inquired about our evening.
I had nothing to complain about.