LIMA — While many of her peers were spending Friday night at high school football games or enjoying other leisure activities, 12-year-old Paige Bartels was experiencing what it would be like as a homeless person.
The Liberty Arts Magnet student was one of 28 young people who participated in Cardboard City, a fundraiser meant to show individuals what the homeless go through on a daily basis.
The students, along with 12 chaperones, gathered at Trinity United Methodist Church at 6 p.m. Friday and stayed until 2 p.m. Saturday. Their first task was to assemble and decorate a cardboard box to sleep in, mimicking the conditions many homeless people face each night.
“It wasn’t comfortable, but it was something we needed to learn about,” Paige said. “We learned that we’re so lucky to have beds to sleep in each night, and that we don’t have to sleep in cardboard boxes on the floor.”
But the sleeping situation was just one of several activities the students took part in. They toured homeless organizations such as Family Promise of Lima-Allen County, which sponsored the event, along with the Churches United Pantry, Lima Rescue Mission, and New Life International. They were also challenged to find a meal at a grocery store that could feed a family of four, but they were only given $3.53.
For dinner Friday night, a local pastor prepared meals from five separate countries to show what the impoverished have to live on each day. Many of the students went to bed hungry, as the portions were small and some did not want to eat the meals that were prepared.
“The kids being hungry really made an impact,” said Jodi McDaniel, a Family Promise board member and coordinator of Cardboard City. “One of the things we heard most was that they are so used to going to the pantry and getting whatever they feel like eating. So I think going to bed hungry was very impactful.”
The students also got a chance to hear personal stories from people who are homeless, or had been in the past. McDaniel said these encounters were not planned.
“Watching God provide other means to really impact these kids was so powerful,” she said. “It was such a blessing.”
Paige said hearing these stories helped change her perspective on the homeless. One man who spoke about his experience said he was homeless because he lost his job, which showed Paige that she should not judge someone based on their current situation.
“A lot of people might think they’re homeless because they’re lazy, but you don’t know their stories until you get to know them,” she said. “It was neat to get to talk to them and hear their own stories.”
McDaniel said reducing the stigma of homelessness was one of the fundraiser’s main goals.
“Everybody has a story, and you don’t know anything unless you’ve walked in their shoes,” she said.
In addition to raising awareness about homelessness in the community, Cardboard City also earned more than $2,500 for Family Promise, an organization that provides food and shelter for the homeless. Each person who participated in the event was sponsored by friends and family, which is how the money was raised.
For Paige, the experience was something she’ll never forget.
“I learned to be gracious with what you have because no matter what, someone will always have less than you,” she said.
Paige even has plans to organize a food and coat drive at her school to donate to the less fortunate, and said she will soon volunteer at a local food pantry.
“I just thought that was so amazing,” McDaniel said of Paige’s intent to help the impoverished in her community. “It’s God’s glory for sure.
