Shelter volunteers live in box to raise money

A Moncton, N.B., shelter is hoping to raise awareness about homelessness, and money, by having volunteers live in a giant cardboard box outside a local mall.

Volunteers from Harvest House will take turns living in the cardboard box set up outside the Champlain Place Mall.

They hopeto raise $14,000 to help heat the five buildings run by Harvest House for the winter.

Jennifer Marr helped come up with the idea meant to generate discussion around homelessness in Moncton.

"We really wanted it to be in a place where people would kind of drive by and go, 'What in the world is that?'" Marr said.

"We have a great big painting on the front side that just says, 'Would you want to live here?' And that is the question, would you want to live in a cardboard box?"

The shelter is drawing on some real-life experiences of its volunteers to help people understand how serious the problem of homelessness is in Moncton.

John Smith used to be homeless but credits Harvest House for helping him turn his life around.

"A lot of people don't even know that there is homeless people in Moncton or anywhere in the world. It's a big thing," Smith said.

"Right now there's between 20 to 25 people that stay at Harvest House, and in the winter time, when it gets colder, it gets more. I seen it last year up to 40 people."

Smith said he understands what thehomeless are living through. Before he went through detox and then recovery at Harvest House, he spent a cold winter outside.

"In 2006, I was homeless myself, I lived in a baby barn for about eight months," he said.

"It was late December, we had a very big snowstorm. I was snowed into the barn for three days."

The giant cardboard box will be outside the mall until Nov. 14.