'Cardboard City'

Young people at Succasunna parish learn to empathize with plight of homeless

BEACON PHOTO | MICHAEL WOJCIK

SIMPLE MEAL  Jennifer Kobza gets ready to serve participants a simple meal similar to what the homeless might eat.

SUCCASUNNA  Some of the teenagers of St. Therese Parish here decided to spend a recent night outdoors, bringing only the “necessities,” such as a pillow, sleeping bag or blanket and a change of clothing. Others managed to pack a few “luxuries,” like a simple game, stuffed animal or comfy pajamas. Still, an even smaller “hard-core” group of these young people chose to “rough it,” sleeping in only the clothes on their backs.

However they arrived, about 30 members of St. Therese’s youth ministry decided to trade sleeping in the comforts of their suburban homes one evening for austere accommodations of a cardboard box, smaller than a refrigerator. They learned about some of indignities that the homeless experience, while they formed a “Cardboard City” for 12 hours, from Friday, July 31 to Saturday, Aug. 1, and lived as “squatters” on a grassy plain on the side of St. Therese Church that faces the parish school across the parking lot. All the while, these compassionate young people also were helping the homeless by donating food and funds for social services.

“I’m sleeping in a box for a good cause: to understand what it’s like to be homeless. This is what the homeless go through every day,” said 15-year-old Jacob Dino, a member of the 10-teen “core team” that organized the “Cardboard City” experience, who brought the “basics” — a blanket, a pillow and a change of clothes.

Each teenager slept — deprived of the use of their cell phones or other electronic devices — in his or her own cardboard box that a St. Therese parishioner donated. Some participants decorated their boxes, coloring eye-catching designs on the cardboard; posting signs such as “Exit” or “No Trespassing”; displaying an American flag; or adorning openings with bright streamers. That night, some teens experienced difficulties, when their boxes collapsed on them — the result of their “digs” getting damp from the humidity and moisture on the ground, said 18-year-old Jenn Kobza, a “core team” member, who helped bring the idea of the “Cardboard City” experience to the rest of the youth ministry.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and taught us to be thankful for what we have and appreciate those, who give those things to us,” said Kobza, who noted that his ad-hoc box community divided into four “cities” — ringed by rows of Christmas lights — that represented cities that have among the highest rates of homelessness in the U.S.: San Francisco, New York, Detroit and Seattle.

Before decorating their boxes, participating young people joined Father Marc Mancini, St. Therese’s pastor, for an opening prayer service at 7 p.m. Friday. Janet Wald, director of Roxbury Social Services, which serves local homeless, gave the teens a tour of a typical backpack that they give clients. The youth were shocked to learn that clients survive on its basic supplies, like a towel, toilet paper and soap, said Deacon Bruce Olsen, St. Therese’s youth minister and one of 20 adults, who oversaw the evening.

The young people ate a simple meal of a sandwich, granola bar and drink, donated by the nearby Bryan’s Diner, owned by a parishioner. Afterward, they watched the movie “The Blind Side,” about a homeless young man, who rises to become an NFL football star, followed by discussion. Throughout the night, the teens prayed, socialized and played games, some of them finally “turning in” to sleep around 3 a.m. Father Mancini periodically came outside to visit with the “squatters.” The experience ended at 7 a.m. on Saturday with Mass, celebrated by Father William Santeliz, a parochial vicar. Then, they ate a simple breakfast, said Deacon Olsen.

“We hope that this experience sensitizes our young people to the plight of the homeless and gives them another perspective of homelessness — of people who actually sleep in boxes — that they can appreciate every night [in the comfort of their homes]. I hope that they never look at a homeless person the same way again,” Deacon Olsen said.

A few youth ministry members brought the idea of the “Cardboard City” to Deacon Olsen and his assistant, Anne Colucci. A few days before the event, some of the young people attended a Roxbury Township Council meeting to explain their charitable efforts. On the night of the experience, Roxbury Police patrolled the area, Kobza said.

“The entire township supported us,” Kobza said.

The “Cardboard City” experience has become part a “broader spectrum” of social justice activities that involve St. Therese’s young people. Many of them have packed lunches and traveled to Irvington to distribute them to the homeless as part of the Summit-based Bridges Outreach, Inc. Recently, some joined a mission trip to rural Dunlow, W.V., where they operated a food pantry, repaired homes and assisted at an elementary school, where they helped build a library three years ago. They also participated in the parish-wide outreach of preparing and giving out Thanksgiving meals of turkey or ham to the local poor from the atrium of the church, Deacon Olsen said.

“It feels so good to help people in need,” said Dino, who has helped prepare lunches for the homeless in Irvington and with the parish’s Thanksgiving meal distribution.

More immediately on the night of the “Cardboard City,” the young people raised more than $1,000 for Homeless Solutions of Morristown, a shelter for homeless men, homeless women and “safe haven” appointments, that also offers life-skills training and substance abuse counseling. Also, they collected and donated canned and packaged goods for Roxbury Community Services, Deacon Olsen said.

“Our young people are not only learning about homelessness, they are doing something about it,” Deacon Olsen said. “The problem of homeless seems so big that they may not be sure what they can do. So they can do whatever they can do. With that, they can make a difference,” he said.

“The young people realized how hard it is to live in a cardboard box, how hard the lives of homeless people are and to have empathy for them,” Father Santeliz said. “They also learned about the Christian principles of praying for and helping the homeless.”