Despite the wet weather, dozens of Molloy College students slept in cardboard boxes outdoors on April 25 to raise awareness about homelessness.

The campus gathering marked Rockville Central College’s 20th annual Boxtown event to benefit Bethany House, a Roosevelt-based non-profit organization that provides housing, food, and other necessities for women and children facing homelessness. service.

This year, Boxtown raised approximately $15,000 for residents of Bethany House.

“Every dollar is helpful and it will definitely be returned to the family,” said Heidi Seelig, the resident director of Roosevelt’s Bethany House Shelter, who attended the event with her 15-year-old daughter Hailey. Activity. "The money is a huge help, so we can provide all the things needed by the families in the shelter, such as food, clothes, medical necessities, and [transportation] from doctor appointments."

In the past decade, the number of homeless New Yorkers has been steadily increasing. According to data from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are approximately 3,868 homeless people on Long Island on any given night. Of these, 74% are families with children.

Juanita Bopp-Doyle, who lived in Bethany House for six months in 2009, said: “Many of us walk with our eyes open, but they really close our eyes. We don’t want to see the homeless, we don’t want to Don’t want it to appear in our yard, we don’t want to be ignorant of it. But homelessness in Nassau County and Long Island is an epidemic. It’s not just a glitch here or there. It’s big. "

In addition, the Upstate-Downstate Housing Alliance predicted in a recent report that the number of people living in shelters in New York State may reach 100,000 by next year. Currently, the total is estimated to be approximately 92,000.

In order to receive the gift box that night, Molloy students must donate or raise funds and give it to Bethany House when registering on the day of the event. For two hours, from 7 to 9 in the evening, they assembled and decorated boxes on the lawn in front of the college’s public square, prepared pillows and blankets, and prepared to spend a cold night.

"It really gives you an experience of what it would be like if you were homeless," said 20-year-old Julie Winkler from Wantagh, a Molloy who volunteered at Bethany House and raised $100 for the organization this year student. "Last year we were cold. I remember trembling when I woke up at 4 in the morning. It does provide a good purpose for why we do what we do and why people need our support."

Sister Diane Capuano, the campus minister, said that when she came to Molloy 13 years ago, she injected new energy into the annual event. Although it is always on the college calendar, Boxtown experienced calm in the year before she helped reinvigorate it. Capuano belongs to the St. Dominic Sisters of Amityville along with sisters Aimee Koonmen, founder and CEO of Bethany House. Several Molloy students said that Capuano's enthusiasm for this event inspired their participation.

"These students have been doing service all year, but tonight is the night to put themselves in a place they might be able to go sometime, but now they are not," Capuano said. "It's a challenge, but they like it. They have that sense of community, especially when we have prayers and women and children speaking. It is extremely, unusually powerful."

Around 9 pm, volunteers from Bethany House, some of whom were previously homeless, sang and told their stories to remind students why they were there. Bopp-Doyle talked about the mission of Bethany House. Since leaving the shelter in December 2009, she has been volunteering for the organization for nearly ten years. "I came back to pay for everything they did for me," she said.

Bopp-Doyle talked about the inspiration experienced by women in Bethany House, saying that its credit restoration, financial knowledge, life guidance and parenting plan are the basic elements of its mission. "Bethany's goal is not to interrupt homelessness, but to end it," she said. "The only thing living in Bethany is growth."

Bopp-Doyle called the Boxtown event “exhilarating and humble every time” and thanked the students for their participation, noting that it helped show the homeless community that they are not alone.

“It’s great for students to accept this, knowing that they stand out among those who have experienced homelessness, it’s a blessing,” she said. "This is a beautiful thing."

Participants did not forget this message. They agreed that Boxtown is Molloy's cornerstone activity, reflecting its mission of serving and community.

19-year-old student Delaney Kelly said: "This is a good reason to cultivate good people." "One of our pillars is the community. This is not even second nature, but first nature. This is It’s another way to serve and maintain mission.”

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