Dozens gather in Caldwell Park for 12th annual Aid for Friends Homeless Awareness Encampment

From Saturday into Sunday morning, dozens gathered in Caldwell Park in Pocatello to raise funds and awareness for homelessness in the area.

For the 12th year, Aid for Friends held an encampment encouraging people to brave the cold for a night and sleep in a box in the park.

The fundraiser has brought in more than $150,000 for the shelter over the years, including nearly $23,000 last year.

Nearly 75 people spent the night in the park last year. But this year, a snowy Friday night set up a cold and wet Saturday.

Michael Sampson, a volunteer who’s spent a night in the park every year, said he only expected about “35-50 people” this year.

Sleeping in a box on a cold snowy night might not be appealing to everyone, but Sampson said it’s actually quite nice.

“Everybody thinks it’s going to be really cold, but these cardboard boxes that we have…they’re nice thick, corrugated cardboard…once you get your sleeping bag and some padding in there, your body heat warms it up pretty nice. Pretty toasty.”

But even with the body heat, anyone who plans to sleep outside must participate in cold weather training.

Sarah “Cat” Cathcart has been preparing participants for the last three years. A former ski patroller, Cathcart has three basic tips to keep people warm through the night: “Avoid cotton, avoid moisture and lots of fluffy things.”

Another big key to staying warm is, believe it or not, peeing.

“So your body has to maintain a temperature of 98.6 degrees…now it maintains everything at that body heat. So if you have a bladder full of liquid, it has to maintain that liquid at 98.6 degrees,” Cathcart said. “So when you use the restroom before you go to bed, that’s one more thing your body heat doesn’t have to keep warm.”

And while the volunteers follow these instructions, they don’t want anyone to think they are pretending to be homeless.

“It’s an awareness and a fundraiser,” Sampson clarified. “It’s a way to make people who drive by and people in Pocatello…realize what it might be like if Pocatello did not have a homeless shelter.”

According to Sampson, there would likely be an encampment, similar to the one at the park, of homeless people. But thanks to the shelter, 50 or so people have a place to sleep each night.