ISU Rugby Teams Sleep in Cardboard Boxes to Raise Homelessness Awareness, Funds

The ISU rugby teams participated in the 17th Annual Homeless Encampment at Caldwell Park in Pocatello, raising funds for Aid For Friends.

Audrey Probst, co-captain for the ISU Women's Rugby team says, “It was a pretty long, cold night for us but it was well worth it though as the rugby team alone raised over $800 for the Aid For Friends program. I felt I should participate because I wanted to give back to the community in a meaningful way. It gave me the chance to feel closer to the community and help shed some light on the struggles many face.”

All the donations came from family, friends and community members that wanted to sponsor the rugby teams to sleep outside.

Aid For Friends was founded in 1984 after the tragic deaths of two homeless men who died of exposure during the harsh Pocatello winter. Our community responded by forming a grassroots volunteer organization that found housing for area homeless primarily in basements and churches. Later that year, Bannock County donated a small house which became the first homeless shelter in our area. In 1988, Bannock County provided the facility at 653 S. 4th Avenue, which has continued to serve as the Emergency Shelter for this community.