Habitat makes camp by Brady

By Michael Sewall

Published April 17, 2007

Members of the MU chapter of Habitat for Humanity are shacking up outside this week.

The Shack in the Box fundraiser will run all week and aims to raise $5,000 for the MU chapter's fund toward building a house.

Executive members of the MU chapter began their weeklong sleepover outside Brady Commons Monday morning and will sleep in large cardboard boxes without going home until Friday afternoon.

A table is set up outside the boxes to collect donations for the funds.

Habit for Humanity member Jessie Fischer said $5,000 was the goal last year, but the group fell short.

"Normally, the houses we build aren't from our funds but just from volunteer hours," Fischer said. "It usually takes $40,000 to $60,000 to build a house."

Fischer said the MU chapter has worked toward the amount of funding necessary to build a house with only the chapter's money.

"It will be a few more years until we have that amount," sophomore member Lauren Aston said.

Both Fischer and Aston said they went camping last spring break, but sleeping outside on campus is a little different.

Students participating packed extra clothing, sleeping bags, textbooks and "some shampoo and a battery-powered alarm clock," Aston said.

The students mostly stay at the camp unless they have to go to class.

Studying shouldn't be a problem, either, Fischer said.

Students brought flashlights to help studying at night, and the camp is located directly under a lamp.

Habit for Humanity had to reserve the spot behind Brady Commons and is required to move the grouping of boxes every day so not to kill the grass.

The participants also follow certain rules, including not going home to shower or brush their teeth. But they have resorted to using places such as the Student Recreation Complex.

"A lot of us go the rec center to shower," Fischer said. "But some of us are being really hardcore and not showering."

Fischer said students would brush their teeth in the Arts and Science Building because the camp is set up near the building.

Another rule the group's members follow is that they can't go to restaurants or dining halls for food.

"We can only eat what people bring us," Fischer said. "Friends go to Brady Commons a lot and some local restaurants are pitching in."

Although the participants will bear the outdoors for the entire week, they said they understand it's for a good cause and hope to reach their $5,000 goal.

"I don't like bothering people for money," Fischer said. "But a lot of people will give money if they're passing by and you ask them."

Fischer said once Habitat for Humanity reaches its overall goal of at least $40,000, a house could be built on Paris Road where Habitat has helped build homes before.