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MU fraternity brothers go homeless for city mission
Marshall students Doug Harvey, Marcel Delbridge, Tyler Beirne, Mason Hess, Andrew Pelfrey, and Sam Worthy from the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity live inside a cardboard box for a 24-hour period in order to raise money for the Huntington City Mission on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009, in the Memorial Student Center Plaza.
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- Members of Marshall University's chapter of Alpha Tau Omega spent all day Thursday and most of the early morning hours on Friday living out of a cardboard box.
Their effort was a fundraiser to assist the Huntington City Mission. One of the brothers, Marcel Delbridge, has volunteered and worked at the mission, seeing firsthand the faces of those who struggle to find shelter every day.
"Just to deal with what they deal with every day, just for a few hours," he said, describing what fraternity members were doing. "And we can leave whenever we want."
The group started about 6 a.m. Thursday, constructing their temporary home out of numerous cardboard boxes, a tarp for a roof and newspapers. The latter came in handy, said freshman Sam Worthy, because it was so cold.
"It's only been six hours," the Huntington native said just before 5 p.m. Thursday. "It sucks. We stuffed our shoes and shirts with newspaper to keep warm."
The idea came from Mike Alonso, a graduate student who serves as the chapter's adviser. The others said that Alonso has heard about fraternities at other colleges doing similar fundraisers.
The guys did a pretty good job of living homeless, although they gave in to Domino's pizza for lunch. But they said there was a lot of behind-the-scenes effort put into preparing.
Senior Justin Fanelli said the fraternity planned it two weeks ago, with members doing research on homelessness statistics. They wrote messages on more than a dozen pieces of cardboard and would relay messages to those walking by.
One that really surprised them was that one in five people in a soup kitchen is a child.
"This is definitely a learning experience," Fanelli said, adding that he'll think twice about someone who asks for spare change.
There was no word on how much money the group raised, but they were collecting until about 4 a.m. Friday.
About the Huntington City Mission
The Huntington City Mission is a non-profit, non-denominational Christian organization established to meet the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of the community.
The mission provides access to adult education, acts as an emergency shelter and provides meals to those who are hungry.
Monetary donations can be made online at www.huntingtoncitymission.org. You can also call 304-523-0293 or schedule a clothing, food or household item donation.
The mission is located at 624 10th Street, Huntington.
