The weather was stormy and chilly. Your “home” was to be a cardboard box. Your evening meal was to be potato soup, water and, if you’re lucky, some un-buttered bread. 

Does this sound like something St. Louis middle and high school students would volunteer to do?

Three times last year, groups of 50 or more local kids from said “yes.” They camped out overnight in their “cardboard castles.”

The sleep-overs were part of a unique program sponsored by BJC Health System. The objective was to give the youngsters a taste of hunger, poverty and homelessness. 

In turn, the kids took the lessons back to their schools and shared them with others.

Katy Fusz of  Nerinx Hall High School said, “The rain and sleet was a little shocking. But, it made the experience much more real.” 

Classmate Audrey Lang said, “I’ll always remember the experience and be thankful for my own home situation.” 

BJC sponsors the “castles” program with help of local schools and church groups. Lynne Lang, mother of Audrey, coordinates the program for BJC. 

Lynne said, when the rains came, some of the adults chaperons wanted to postpone the activity. 

“But, the kids said, ‘We’re doing it in the rain.’ The next morning they said the weather made the experience more worthwhile,” she said. 

Also, on the third overnight, the kids slept on an asphalt parking lot right near the Metrolink train tracks. Lynne said, “The kids said the trains going by every 15 minutes made the experience more realistic.”

She is working with school and church sponsors to have two more “castle” overnights next fall. There also will be two in the spring of 2001. If you would be interested in participating, you can contact Lang at (314) 286-0504. 

A typical overnight starts at 7 p.m. on a Friday. Kids bring only the clothes they are wearing and a sleeping bag or blankets. No extra food, CD players or other such items are  allowed. 

When the kids arrive, they get a pad and pencil to keep a diary. They also get one potato, which they peel for making the potato soup. 

A night, they hear talks on hunger, poverty, homelessness, nutrition, safety and addiction. These are all problems for the homeless. 

The kids then write their ideas in their diaries. They also reflect on their outdoor experience. They discuss the diaries the next morning. The “castles” experience ends about 8 a.m. on Saturday. 

Katy Fusz said, “I wrote in my diary about how lucky I was to have a good family situation.” 

Usually, the kids get to sleep in their cardboard boxes about 11 p.m. When it rains, the boxes had a plastic sheet over them to try to keep them dry. The boxes usually are cartons used to deliver refrigerators. 

Fusz has been volunteering at the St. Peter and Paul Homeless Shelter since her experience. She also volunteers as a  tutor for children at a subsidized housing complex.

Audrey Lang volunteered to talk about nutrition for underprivileged children. “I want to help people take care of themselves,” she said. 

They said the night in their “cardboard castles” helped them understand homelessness