MVC students throw themselves to the wolves for a cause

It's one thing to imagine what it's like to be homeless, to picture in your mind how it would feel to build a cardboard home while a stiff, cold wind tries to undo your work.

The Missouri Valley College students in Tammy Harrelson's American Humanics course are going beyond imagination this week, setting up their own cardboard village Monday, March 24, with plans to live there for three days to bring attention to the plight of the homeless.

And to make the experience more realistic, the weather supplied them with a stiff, cold wind that added challenge to the task of constructing their temporary homes.

Asked whether they knew what they were in for when they signed up for the class, LaQuisha Griffing said, "Sort of, but not like this."

Her partner, Tiffany Hackman, helping wrestle a cardboard box lid into position, added, "But I like it."

Hackman said her experience taking shop classes was coming in handy as they tried to build a stable dwelling.

Harrelson said the students would stay in their cardboard village for the whole three days with only a couple of exceptions. They are allowed to attend classes and go to their rooms to get and return books, and they are allowed to go to the cafeteria for meals.

When they do, though, they will go as a group, trying to simulate the experience of eating at a soup kitchen, Harrelson said.

Even as the project began, the group was beginning to learn lessons about living with little.

The materials they had to work with, appliance boxes, firewood, duct tape and pallets, were all donated by local businesses, according to Harrelson.

"We didn't think of the pallets until the rain last week," she said.

Before beginning the project, students did research on the Web, finding sites that describe survival skills for the homeless, including how to construct a cardboard shelter.

The project is part of Homeless Awareness Week, sponsored by Missouri Valley College American Humanics Student Association from March 24-27.

Students have been studying the problem of homelessness, attempting to develop an understanding of the extent of the homeless problem and its root causes, according to a news release from the college.

"It is only through the understanding of the demographics and common reasons for homelessness that social programs can be developed to assist members of our society and protecting against homelessness in the future," officials said.

In addition to getting a brief taste of what homelessness might be like, the students are trying to make a difference for the less privileged locally by accepting donations to support two local non-profit organizations, the community food pantry and Shoes That Fit.

Shoes That Fit helps build self-esteem of schoolchildren in need by providing them with new shoes or clothes. For more information, please visit www.shoesthatfit.org.

American Humanics students are hoping to educate their peers that the homeless are not those just living under the bridges or on the streets in large cities, but also right here in our small rural community.

Locally, there is what is called the "hidden homeless," which may include those living in motels, automobiles and those who frequently "double up" with friends or relatives on a temporary basis, according to the news release.

Contact Eric Crump at marshalleditor@socket.net