Despite early rains on Saturday, staff and volunteers for Reggie’s Sleepout showed up at Jack Trice Stadium at 8 a.m. to set up and prepare for the overnight fundraiser.

This is the first year the sleepout has taken place in Ames, as well as Des Moines, where it originated.

Because of the earlier rain, the football field was soaked by the time check-in came at 3 p.m. The temperature was holding out at around 40 degrees.

But people came for a reason and they weren’t going to let the elements keep them from raising awareness about homelessness. Over 600 people registered for the sleep out and others came unregistered, according to Rhonda Clark, marketing and communications director for Youth and Shelter Services (YSS).

Clark said over 200 volunteers signed up to help set up tents, drive carts and sell merchandise.

Brian Brand, who lives in State Center, found out about the event through the church his family attends. He and his wife brought their four young boys out for the night.

“We wanted to join in so that we can start teaching our kids that we have it pretty and that there’s a lot of others who don’t have it so well,” Brand said.

Brand said he hopes the night will help his boys become aware of problems that may not yet affect them.

His family’s tent was only one of many, as well as the number of cardboard creations that  went up throughout the night.

Danielle Cook, a senior who volunteers with ACCESS, was one of the many Iowa State students helping with the sleep out. After just two hours of the chilly weather, Cook couldn’t take it anymore.

“I just can’t imagine living out here,” Cook said. “It’s just hard to believe that people around this area go through this.”