BOXED IN: CHURCH YOUTH EMPATHIZE WITH THE HOMELESS

Andrew Bentlage tried to make the best out of his temporary cardboard home, even drawing a television set and a refrigerator on the inside of the large appliance box.

With a sleeping bag and the clothes on his back, the 13-year old prepared for a night with little food and shelter.

Bentlage wasn't alone Saturday night. He was one of nine teen-agers and three adults who set up "Box City" on the parking lot of First Christian Church in Cape Girardeau.

It was an effort by the church's youth group to experience what it would be like to be homeless.

The group arranged their cardboard shelters, starting at 4 p.m. The teen-agers used magic markers to provide some decoration to the boxes inside and out as they prepared for their all-night stay.

The group planned to end their "homelessness" at 7 this morning when they will be treated to breakfast inside the church."We are trying to heighten their awareness of what it is like to be homeless and hungry," said Carola White, youth group leader and one of the three adults camped out in the parking lot.

As part of the project, the group collected blankets and food donated by church members. The food will be given to the FISH pantry and the blankets also will be distributed to charity. White said the blankets likely will be donated to the Salvation Army.

Bentlage wasn't bothered by sleeping in a box. He said he has been camping. But he said he had never camped out in a cardboard box with little food. "I'll probably get hungry."The participants didn't go entirely hungry. Each received a bottle of water, a bottle of juice, an apple, a banana and saltine s.

Participants were limited to the clothes on their backs. They were allowed to bring sleeping bags, but no flashlights, radios, tape players or television sets were allowed. A campfire provided heat and light for the group.

Sam Maguire, 11, tried to get comfortable inside his box. "I hope my body heat will keep it warm," he said.

Maguire looked at the small amount of wood piled up in readiness for the camp fire. He said it would have been nice to have more wood. "If it would have been up to me, it would have been the size of a parking lot."Krista Draper, 14, wrote "Krista's Kabin" over the entrance to her cardboard hut.

Draper said she wasn't a camper. She has slept on floors in homes, but never outdoors."I think it will be a real good experience to see what it is like to be homeless and hungry," she said as dusk set in. "Even though we whine and complain all the time, there are people who are less fortunate than we are."Jean Maguire, 17, wrote "Picadilly Circus" on the outside of her box. The teen-ager, who enjoyed her visit to London two years ago, said she figured she might as well spend the night in a "London box."Dustin Lawrence, 14, used duct tape to install a shelf and a peg for his hat on the inside wall of his temporary shelter. Lawrence speculated that he could be in for a cold night.

But food was his biggest concern. "Going without food, that would be pretty hard."