When old man winter made a return trip to the area Monday night, most Beckley residents bundled up and stayed indoors.

Mountain State University students Nick Lukkarila, Michael Lewis-Walker and Mark Johnson did what they could to stay warm and dry as well, curling up and pulling the tarp down over their cardboard box homes.

“It was rather cold, but the boxes were actually quite nice and cozy,” Lukkarila said Tuesday morning. “They’re a little wet, but they’re still standing.”

The students, members of Phi Sigma Phi national fraternity, left behind the comforts of their cozy dorm rooms Monday, constructing a “box city” in front of the school on South Kana-wha Street.

The camp-out, which ends today, is a fundraiser for Pinehaven Homeless Shelter.

While not in class, the men stand on the street corner, holding up signs, asking for donations of food, clothing and money, all of which will go to the homeless shelter.

In 2008, the first year of the fundraiser, the fraternity collected $2,200 for the shelter, and Lukkarila says they hope to pull in $2,500 this year.

“This is our big community outreach program,” Lukkarila said. “We have high hopes.”

Although Lukkarila said the experience has given him better insight into the life of a homeless person, he said all three students know those who actually live on the streets endure a much more difficult time.

“People know we’re not really homeless, so they’re much more prone to help us,” he said. “It’s kind of sad.”

The “help” the students have received has come in the form of clothing, blankets, money and a special Tuesday morning delivery of food and coffee from a caring stranger.

The most surprising form of help, however, was not tangible and came from two homeless men who told the students they should stay at the shelter instead of the boxes.

When the students explained what they were doing, they said the men were extremely appreciative.

“We said, ‘We’re doing this for you,’” Lewis-Walker said. “It was a great feeling.”

The students will remain in their new dwellings for part of today before heading back to the secure comforts of their dorms.

Before they vacate their humble abodes, however, they say they hope to receive more donations and, at the least, invite people to drive by to get some sort of an idea of what life for the less fortunate is all about.

Johnson, president of the fraternity, says he is proud of the community response and hopes it continues.

“It’s nice to know that Beckley is a community that cares about the homeless,” he said. “A lot of times, communities don’t. This is really something that brings us closer together.”

— E-mail:

mjames@register-herald.com