Freezing winds. Loud noises. Confined spaces. That was all par for the course for the 25 student groups who participated in this year's annual Cardboard City fundraiser at Penn State Behrend. The event, held Nov. 14 and 15 at the campus, requires teams of students to build homes using nothing other than cardboard, duct tape, boxes and any other disposable materials they can find.
The students live in the shelter for 24 hours, taking shifts, all in an effort to raise awareness of the struggles that homeless people routinely endure. To participate, each student group must also donate a bag of food as part of the campus' Thanksgiving Food Drive. Overall, the campus donated 1,368 pounds of food, up from the 400 pounds donated during last year’s drive.
Doug Harner
Doug Harner, a sophomore hospitality management major from Hershey, stayed in the Lion Ambassadors house for the Cardboard City fundraiser. "People weren’t on their phones, and they were actually talking with one another,” Harner said. “I think that helped bring everyone closer, and it also helped really drive home just why we are out here to begin with. I would never wish this on anyone, but now I’m more motivated to say, ‘Okay, what can I do to make sure this isn’t happening to people?’"
Kevin Askins
Kevin Askins, a first-year accounting and finance major from Erie, did not even attempt to sleep through the night. "I didn't go to bed last night," Askins said. "I just stayed out here in this chair the whole time."
Delta Sigma Pi Home
For the Cardboard City fundraiser, teams of students were required to build homes using nothing other than cardboard, duct tape, boxes and any other disposable materials they can find. Here's the home that Delta Sigma Pi put together.
Kappa Delta Rho home
The wind was one of the most brutal elements faced by the 25 groups who participated in the Cardboard City fundraiser at Penn State Behrend. A tarp, like the one used by Kappa Delta Rho, can make a big difference when it comes to combating the elements.
