No one slept this year at the Sleep Out for the Homeless.
The event, hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., ended around midnight Saturday due to rain. Before the shutdown, students danced to music on Turlington Plaza, ate free pizza and donated items to the St. Francis House.
Harmardo Sinclair, president of the fraternity, said the magnitude of homelessness in Gainesville is “atrocious.”
He said the event is one way to give back, but he knows not every student would be willing to give up his or her Saturday night to sleep on the ground. That’s where the party comes in.
“That’s what people come out for,” Sinclair said. “People like food, people like music, and people like to dance.”
The organization collected about 33 bags of clothing, two boxes of toiletries, four boxes of food and about $70.
Danica Rodriguez, director of the Freshman Leadership Council, said the collected items will go a long way to help others.
“It just turns into a full-blown party,” she said. “And the more people that come, the most stuff they bring.”
