DeHority Complex lawn will become a village of box homes Friday night, housing students to raise awareness for the homeless community in Muncie.
Box City is giving students three hours to build and decorate makeshift cardboard shelters in which they will spend the night.
“Muncie has a large homeless population and [students] need to remember that, because we are so disconnected from the Muncie community some of the time,” said Brittany Krowiarz, the public relations director for the event.
Attendees will bring canned food items, which will later be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank, in exchange for “Box Bucks” used to purchase boxes, premade columns, plastic sheeting and duct tape.
Krowiarz said weather has played a sizeable role in attendance of the event in the past few years, and she expects the same this year.
“The last few years the weather hasn’t been great,” she said. “But even though you have the option to go home, most people in Muncie who are homeless have to stay out in the rain.”
Although some may resist the idea of sleeping in a box for a night, it doesn’t mean you can’t participate.
“It rained last year, only 20 or so people stayed outside, but we had a lot of people still come and donate items even though they didn’t stay,” Krowiarz said. “ We still filled up a truck to take to Second Harvest.”
Attendees will be offered free food, as well as a chance to hear three live bands. Corn hole games will also be set up along with several other activities Korowiarz said, to break up the night.
Awards will also be given out for the biggest box house, most attractive and best overall. Prizes include movie passes and drawstring bags. Happy Friday Guy will be one of the three guest judges.
Chad Balilo, DeHority employee, said this is a large, campus wide event that DeHority puts on every year to enhance the Muncie community and educate students.
“You learn about homelessness just by living in a box for a night,” Balilo said.
Calypso Pichett, a sophomore telecommunications major, said she doesn’t want to know what it is like to be homeless, and said she is more concerned about finals week.
“I’m not about to sleep in a box,” Pichett said. “I may donate food and then take the boxes home and use them to pack my stuff up instead.”
Pichett also said the cold, rainy weather is a reason she is staying in.
“It’s going to be cold, if it was nice I would think about it,” she said. “If my friends did it I may think about it.”
For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page under the name “Box City 2013” . Box Bucks are also available beforehand in exchange for donations so those aiming to build the best house can get a head start on building.
