Pocatellans brave weather to help homeless

Darren Daniels has been spending one December night in a box since 2011. It’s grown to be a family affair, as his kids have begun to join him as they get older.

“I’m still trying to get my wife to come out,” Daniels said. “She hates the cold, though.”

Since 2006, Pocatello’s homeless shelter Aid for Friends has been hosting a Homeless Encampment fundraiser. Dozens of people volunteer to spend the night in a cardboard box in Caldwell Park. People also gather donations and sponsors for their stay.

The fundraiser serves two purposes: To raise money for the homeless shelter and to raise awareness of the homeless problem in the community.

Michael Sampson has helped run the logistics of the event since it started. He said the event is necessary for Pocatello.

“It raises much needed funds to keep the (shelter’s) doors open, so we don’t have an encampment like this down by the river, underneath the bridge or down by the railroad tracks,” Sampson said.

While it’s the cause of the fundraiser that gets everyone together, it’s the sense of community that prompts them to return.

“A lot of us don’t see each other much during the year,” Daniels said. “(Coming here) gives you that sense of a larger family. Like, I have a family at home and then I have this family every year.”

The encampment runs until Sunday at 9 a.m. You can still help the cause, Aid for Friends has a PayPal account set up here.