Rochester, Albert Lea Residents Sleep In Boxes

The night of Oct. 16 was as cold as it was eye-opening for Albert Lea and Rochester residents who built and then slept inside cardboard shelters to raise homeless awareness. (View photos of Rochester and Albert Lea.)

In Rochester, more than $17,000 was raised during the fifth-annual Cardboard Box City event, a program benefitting The Salvation Army, Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) and Dorothy Day Hospitality House.

About 200 area residents spent hours constructing cardboard homes – some so big they had multiple rooms – as they sipped hot cocoa and ate homemade soup donated by area businesses and served by the Rochester Salvation Army. Later on they enjoyed a concert by Sheltered Reality, a youth drum line that performs across the U.S. to raise awareness about homeless and poverty.

“Although the numbers for this year's event were a bit less then we hoped for, those who came out showed great support,” said Major James Frye, Rochester Salvation Army administrator. “The young men and women who showed up really ‘get it.’ I can only imagine the impact they will make fighting homelessness in the years to come.”

Youth in Albert Lea also ‘get it.’ That night, nearly 30 teenagers from six area churches built and slept in cardboard shelters at Morin Park to raise awareness for “Ignore No More,” a Salvation Army movement created to battle homelessness, poverty, hunger and addiction.

Local radio station Power 96 broadcasted live while the kids constructed their shantytown. One participant went so far as to stand alongside the street with a “please help” sign, pretending to be homeless.

“This is a great event because people don’t realize there are actual homeless people here in Albert Lea – you don’t see it because it’s such a small community,” said Letisia Rodriguez, a 16-year-old participant.

Lori Miles of the Albert Lea Salvation Army couldn’t agree more.

“What we find in Albert Lea is that you don’t necessarily see the homeless like you might in the big city – but it’s there. We see it at The Salvation Army,” she said. “Our hope is that these teenagers will experience what it’s like to be homeless and make a difference now and in the future.”

For more information about Ignore No More, please
click here.