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Hunger for justice week

November 17, 2009

A taste of homelessness

Living in boxes for a couple hours allows dozens of King’s students to understand more fully the life of the downtrodden.

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
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WILKES-BARRE – The wind whipped Monday, stirring up leaves and blowing the hair of two young women sitting in a cardboard box on a green area in the heart of the King’s College campus.

The women were wearing sweatshirts and covered by blankets. But they were still cold on the crisp autumn afternoon.

They had no food, no cell phones and no luxury items. Many of their fellow King’s students walked by without saying a word or giving them a look. A couple stopped to chat and drop some money into a jar. A few more made rude comments or laughed.

Their ordeal lasted less than two hours, but it was enough to give them a slight taste of what it’s like to be homeless. And it wasn’t appetizing.

Sarah Darte, 19, of Wilkes-Barre, and Crystal Simile, 18, of Berwick, were two of more than two dozen students who will spend some time in cardboard boxes during a 60-hour span that started Monday morning at 9. The experience is part of Hunger for Justice Week, which is being observed nationwide.

Darte, a Wilkes-Barre native and 2008 Meyers High School graduate, has seen homeless people in Wilkes-Barre while she was growing up, but never really thought too much about their plight. Her tribulation gave her a newfound respect and empathy for the homeless.

More than anything, she took away the way some people either wouldn’t make eye contact or had rude things to say. And these were from people she went to school with.

She said real homeless people get those looks or abuse from strangers, and she said it’s awful that humans treat fellow humans that way.

Even with the blankets and box, the two said they were cold and couldn’t imagine how the homeless survive the harsh winters of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Simile said she’s now motivated to help however she can. She participated in a walking fundraiser on Sunday for Ruth’s Place, a shelter for homeless women in Wilkes-Barre. And she said she hopes to volunteer some time at the shelter in the future.

She hopes some of those students that walked past the cardboard boxes this week at King’s will think about how fortunate they are and remember those out there, some they may have grown up with, who aren’t as lucky.

“There’s so many things I don’t even think about because I have them,” Simile said. She said simple things such as gloves, a pillow, clean water and other basics that aren’t available to everyone can go a long way, and she hopes people will open up their hearts and maybe their wallets in the future if they see a homeless person or shelter in need.

Later Monday night, students gathered at the Charles D. Sherrer House on North Franklin Street to knit scarves and crochet gloves. The items will be donated to St. Stephen’s REACH, the St. Vincent DePaul Clothing Bank or Ruth’s Place.

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