Spending a Saturday evening in a cardboard box probably doesn't sound like much fun to most folks.
It certainly can't be fun for the growing number of homeless people in our area, and that's one reason why Catholic Charities has organized the first-ever Cardboard Box City event, which is scheduled for Saturday in both Adrian and Brewster.
The other point of the event is to, of course, make money, as participants have been asked to collect pledges in the hopes that each would raise $100. All money collected at the event will be split between two agencies that assist the homeless in this region -- Southwest Minnesota Opportunity Council (SMOC) and Western Community Action (WCA).
While it's worth noting that electronic items, food and drink will not be allowed at Cardboard Box City -- after all, the homeless commonly go without these amenities -- there will be entertainment and guest speakers. We won't try to predict a turnout, but we see this is as a unique event that calls attention -- and lends assistance -- to a truly needy segment of our population.
It has been no secret that a lack of affordable housing plagues Worthington, and there are no easy solutions that will bring an immediate change. With that in mind, we are grateful for SMOC and WCA, as well as numerous churches and other organizations, that have reached out in this time of need. And remember -- we all can do our small part, too.
