Next to the rock on Farm Lane on Wednesday, two heads popped out of a hole cut from a large box. The two childhood friends inside reminisced about building forts as kids while they spent time in their home for the night - a cardboard box.
No-preference freshman Alex Wortman and education freshman Grahm Hannah named their box the 'Love Machine,' partly joking about the girls they hoped would visit, but also "to promote equality of every human being and that we can all really share in each other's living experiences in terms of being poor to very affluent," Wortman said.
Students spent the day and night together, working to build a shed, passing out information on poverty, painting the rock and sleeping outside in boxes - all to bring attention to homelessness issues as part of HabiFest, Habitat for Humanity's day of poverty awareness.
Habitat for Humanity is an international organization that works to build homes with those who can't afford them. MSU's chapter of Habitat for Humanity joined hundreds of campuses across the county in raising poverty awareness during its third year of participation in HabiFest.
"We're just trying to get people aware of the need that's in our country, as well as in other countries," said MSU alumna and former MSU Habitat for Humanity president Monica Glysson. "So, the way we're doing it is sleeping in boxes, which unfortunately a lot of people around the world do every night."
Stationed at the rock on Farm Lane, students passed out poverty statistics for East Lansing, including the fact that 33.8 percent of the population of East Lansing lives below the poverty level.
"Poverty is not something that people think about on a regular basis, unless it directly affects them," zoology junior Erin Wendt said. "So this is more of an eye- opener for them."
Lansing resident Mary DelRio and her two children spoke at the event about their experiences working with Habitat to build themselves a home.
After helping build four or five other homes during their 50 hours of volunteer work for Habitat, the family helped build its own house.
"Looking at our home, we can say that we did this," DelRio said. "We're very blessed; I don't know how to put it into words."
She said they want to help others to have the same feeling they have owning their new home.
The experience is fulfilling not only for the homeowners, but for the volunteers as well, accounting sophomore Sara Casetta said.
"Once you start, you can't stop," said Casetta, the HabiFest coordinator. "To work side by side with a homeowner is amazing. To know that we're not just giving them a house, (but) they are side by side with us building that house, and that house means so much to them."
