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Kids sleep outside in cardboard boxes to raise awareness and money for homeless

Posted at 12:12 AM, Jan 14, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-14 00:12:18-05

"We're going to be sleeping out in the cold in these boxes, sort of like how the homeless would," said Leah.

It's Leah's first year sleeping outside of the Lakewood Congregational Church and she not only came prepared with layers of clothing but also with an open mind.

"I want to learn more about how the homeless live so I'm more empowered to help them," she said.

Leah and dozens of other kids grades 5 all the way through high school are joining in on this sleep out. Not only will they be resting in their carefully crafted cardboard boxes overnight, they also spend most of the evening fundraising.

They raise money for hours and 100 percent of the proceeds go to homeless shelters.

"They understand that they're just out here for one night, but they get the idea that there are people who have to do this and tomorrow have to get up and look for food and think about shelter for the next night," said event organizer Brad Humphreys.

Humphreys says although the kids are passionate about raising money and learning life lessons, his main focus is keeping them safe as the temperatures drop.

"We're going to keep an eye on it all night," he said. "Our backup plan if we need to, if the kids start getting uncomfortable, is to move into the floor of the narthex, the lobby in the church."

Right across the street at the Saint Peter's Episcopal Church, even more kids are also sleeping outside and banging pots and pans to raise money for this struggling population.

"It's helping the greater good and, personally, I think its kind of fun," said Luke, while asking passing cars for donations.