Oct 28, 2012 / 12:05 pm
Youth at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Simpson, S.C. recently received a crash course in what it's like to be homeless.
Twenty-eight middle and high school students and parents from the church spent a weekend outside Sept. 21-23, sleeping in cardboard boxes on the ground and relying only on donated supplies for food and hygiene.
Participants arrived on Friday afternoon to begin the event with only the clothes on their backs. They weren't allowed to bring sleeping bags, personal hygiene items or anything else. Parents could join the activity or visit with their children, but weren't allowed to bring them supplies.
The parish youth already participate in an annual 30-hour fast to empathize with the hungry, and this project was meant to give them an idea of what it's like to be homeless and fending for themselves on the streets, said youth leader Joe Maggio.