Sheets of cardboard, a sleeping bag and a pillow sit in a pile behind Daryle Sivels, freshman in pre-business, and Catum Whitfield, sophomore in agricultural engineering, in front of them a folding table with piles of clothing and assorted canned goods.

Sivels and Whitfield are a part of Phi Beta Sigma’s annual sleepout to raise awareness for homelessness in Ames. Thursday night, Sivels and Whitefield, along with other members of their fraternity, slept on that cardboard on Central Campus for their cause.

Phi Beta Sigma chapters across the nation hold sleepouts similar to the Kappa Gamma chapter here at Iowa State. Donations collected by Phi Beta Sigma this year will be donated to the Emergency Residence Project in Ames.

The ERP provides shelter and meals to the homeless in Story County. Donations of food, clothing and money come from fraternity members as well as members of the community. 

The Phi Beta Sigma’s choose a different organization in the Ames community each year to donate, too. Last year, Phi Beta Sigma raised more than $300, Sivels said. This is Sivels’ second year participating in the event.

“It’s a good time,” Sivels said. “We connect with everybody in a very positive way.”

“Two years ago we did this in October. It was pretty cold,” Sivels said.

Despite the cold, Phi Beta Sigmas like Sivel are passionate about their cause and say they get a good feeling from the event.