HOPE’s Box-Out fundraiser creates ‘another level of empathy’

Equashia Mumeen’s seven-year-old son built her a house on Friday night in the Pit.

Although the house was made of cardboard as part of the annual Box-Out fundraiser for the Community Empowerment Fund, Mumeen said it suited her just fine.

“Listen, I been homeless,” said Mumeen, a member of the Community Empowerment Fund and one of the local speakers at the event. “Long as it don’t leak, I’m OK.”

During the event, which was hosted by Homeless Outreach Poverty Eradication, community members and UNC students came together to raise awareness about the plight of homelessness.

Box-Out, which spanned from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., featured a free Hare Krishna meal, a dance party, speakers and a box-building competition.

Two of the speakers were from the National Coalition for the Homeless, while the other two were from the local community.

“I think Box-Out is hugely important because there will be another level of empathy,” said freshman Olivia Karas, a participant in the event and a member of the Community Empowerment Fund. “We will understand a little tiny bit.”

The cost was $30 to participate, and 80 people registered for the event, said Co-chairwoman Kelly LeDoux.

She said they expected to match last year’s total of $5,000.

The goal of the event, which organizers have been planning since October, was to foster discussion and increase empathy for those who have experienced homelessness.

Although participants said Box-Out was not meant to be an accurate representation of what it is like to be homeless, they said they hoped to understand the challenges faced by the homeless community.

Mumeen said she was impressed by the turnout at the event because it showed that people care about homelessness.

“I was homeless and (the Community Empowerment Fund) and HOPE got me out of homelessness,” she said. “These people are my family.”

Mumeen said she decided to participate in Box-Out as a way to pass forward all that the fund and HOPE have done for her family.

“This is real for us,” she said. “It is not something that is rehearsed. We lived it. We lived in a van for six months.”

As for many of the students, one night outside was an interesting experience, but they said they looked forward to returning home.

“It ended up being colder than expected,” participant Steve Burges said.

Some said they planned to squeeze in a nap before starting the next day, while others said they planned to get a kickstart on their homework.

“I have a lot of work to do,” participant David Kayler said. “I think I am up for good.”

Mumeen said she, too, was up for the day.

“I think we are going to go to HOPE Gardens,” she said. “We’ve got a plot out there — some lettuce, some kale — that needs help.”

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