More than 250 students ‘sleep out’ in solidarity with homeless

The threat of lightning forced participants in this year’s Cardboard City Sleep Out at St. Joseph High School, Metuchen, from the outdoor basketball courts into the Maglio Gymnasium, but it was the enthusiasm of the more than 250 high school boys that really charged the 12-hour event.

“They probably had more enthusiasm because it wasn’t cold” in the gym as it sometimes is outside, said Tracey Coudriet, director of campus ministry at St. Joseph High School. “They didn’t have to (bundle up in winter gear and) get in their (cardboard) boxes at 2 o’clock in the morning to keep warm.”

The purpose of the Oct. 6 event was to raise awareness of youth homelessness and to raise money for Covenant House-NJ.

Using an online fundraising link through Covenant House, participants raised more than $34,500, exceeding the $30,000 goal.

Last year the effort raised more than $23,000.

“I never dreamed we’d reach $30,000,” Coudriet said. Donations “kept going up and going up. It was amazing.”

Covenant House offers young people experiencing homelessness and trafficking “so much more than a safe place to sleep,” she said. “They welcome each kid with absolute respect and unconditional love, and their continuum of care provides essential services to help kids transition from homelessness to independence.”

The Cardboard City Sleep Out is not about pretending to be homeless, she explained. “It’s an act of solidarity with the 4.2 million young people who experience homelessness each year.”

For sophomore Tyler Lechner, his second Cardboard City Sleep Out also was an opportunity “to spend valuable time with friends and a great way to learn teamwork.”

Participants in the program that has been running at the school for more than 25 years filled the high school gym floor with cardboard boxes they fashioned into sleeping shelters in which they played board games by lantern light, talked or slept.

The 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. event also included presentations about Covenant House, a prayer service for the homeless and a late-night service project. This year the boys from all high school grade levels created gift boxes for retired Brothers of the Sacred Heart and retired priests of the Diocese of Metuchen.

“It was … an extremely impactful event,” Coudriet said. “It was awesome to see that many students standing up for the homeless.”