Teens Brave Cold Night to Understand Homelessness

Teen groups from ten Middlesex County churches spent Saturday night outdoors in frigid temperatures to help them understand and empathize with the plight of the homeless.

At South Church, the youth group from that church, First Church, and First Church Congregational in Old Saybrook, assisted by parishioners, set up tents on the corner of Main and Union streets to spend the night in solidarity with those community members who are forced to spend harsh nights without a home.

"It's a way to bring awareness of homelessness to the community," said Sue LaTourette, a church director from First Church, who helped organize the sleep out.  "It helps these kids, and everyone who hears about it, understand the challenge of homelessness, and it helps put a face on it."

LaTourette, and her counterpart, Karen Treckel from South Church, helped organize a pre-sleep out dinner, and a concert for the event.  They, and other adults from the congregation were acting as chaperones, and adult supervision for the teenagers.

The group spent from 6 PM to sunup in their corner outpost, with evening temperatures ranging down into the single digits.

LaTourette explained that the effort is an attempt to keep the plight of the homeless in the public eye after the generosity of the holidays has passed.

"We want to have people understand that long after Christmas people need food, warm clothing and a place to stay," she said.

The event has already had the positive effect of motivating donors to drop food and clothing at the church for distribution to locations in Middletown like the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen and the Eddy Shelter.