Sleeping outside to support homeless

A man layered with several sets of clothing and a slight limp walks toward you as you're window shopping on Kirkwood. You lock eyes with him for a split second. His eyes pierce through the tangled hair hiding his face. \nFor one brief moment you might feel his helplessness. Then he passes by you and out of your life. You have a warm bed to sleep in tonight and he does not.\nTonight, a group of students will try to duplicate what it is like for a homeless person in Bloomington. At the same time, they'll be taking donations for area homeless shelters.\nThe Indiana Public Interest Research Group will hold a "Sleepout" for their Hunger and Homelessness campaign in Dunn Meadow, from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 7 a.m. Wednesday.\nStudents, faculty and local residents will stay overnight in large boxes the group is collecting from local businesses and grocery stores. They will be taking donations of new or gently used bedding, such as pillows, sheets and blankets. The donations will be given to Shelter, Inc. and other local shelters. \n"There is a major problem with Hunger and Homelessness in Bloomington right now," said junior Janelle Lynch, INPIRG's media and public relations intern and also an IDS employee. "We all have a warm bed to climb into at night. At the Sleepout, we will try to have people put themselves in a homeless person's shoes for just one night."\nMore than 90 homeless families live in shelters in Bloomington right now, said Michael Reinke, executive director of the United Way. \nReinke is one of the three speakers scheduled to talk at the sleepout. Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm and Steven Koehler, the director of Salvation Army will also appear. All three will discuss the problem of hunger and homelessness in the community and how students, faculty and local residents can help stop the problem.\nParticipants are encouraged to spend the whole night, but are not required. The focus of the event is to accept donations for local shelters, Lynch said.\nDirectly following the sleepout, INPIRG will have a hot breakfast from 7:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Shalom Community Center, which seeks to provide aid to those who need jobs, skills training and housing.\n"The people at the Shalom Center never get a hot breakfast, so we want to give them an old fashioned warm breakfast to start their day," Lynch said.\nMembers from INPIRG will cook a hot breakfast including eggs, sausage, pancakes and biscuits. Anyone attending the sleepout is invited to help at the breakfast, said senior Angie Thomas, coordinator of the Hunger and Homelessness campaign.\nA crowd of 50-60 people is expected at the event and people from local shelters have been encouraged to come share the experience with students, said sophomore Christine McGinley, a member of INPIRG's grassroots coalition.\n"People often feel that homelessness is a problem in big cities and that big cities are producers of homeless people," Reinke said. "Homelessness exists in small cities and communities, as well. When people attend the sleepout, whether it's to hear the speakers or sleep out in solidarity, it will show how important the issue of homelessness is to our community"