BETHALTO — The temperature dipped to the low 30s the night of Nov. 6, yet 25 teens and young adults from Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish spent the night in cardboard boxes to raise awareness of the homeless in the area.

Before settling down for the night on Saturday, the youth group visited local nursing homes and delivered fruit baskets and sang to some of the residents. Then, the young people paid $10 for the space to place a box and an additional $5 to purchase a refrigerator box donated by Sears. Some of the kids brought and designed their own boxes. Although the boxes were sturdy, they did little to keep out the cold.

In all, $355 was raised for the “privilege” of spending the night as a homeless person. The money raised will be donated to House of Hope Shelter in Cottage Hills, which is a Christian shelter for homeless women with dependent children.

Norm Frisch, youth minister for Our Lady Queen of Peace, explained, “The purpose of sleeping in boxes was to be in solidarity with the homeless, raise money for the House of Hope and to be witnesses to others of the plight of the poor.”

After spending a night in the freezing cold, the group attended 10:30 a.m. Mass together. Then, with the help of another 20 or so teens and young adults, they went out to rake leaves and do yard work at the homes of 18 different elderly and shut-in residents. The group also delivered fruit baskets to the people for whom they did yard work.