Members of the community came together on Saturday at “Box City,” an event to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Participants gathered at 4 p.m. Saturday, setting up their cardboard box housing in Bridgeport Park in Valencia. Guests were advised to bring whatever they needed for a night in the park. The event ended Sunday at 9 a.m

The event was hosted by Family Promise, a nonprofit organization founded in 2009 that helps low income families find their way back to being self sufficient. There were roughly 400 attendees, most of them children.

“Our mission is to get children and their families to achieve self independence,” said Larry Comp, Board President of Family Promise, Santa Clarita Valley.

Each participant pledges at least $100 in order to participate in the event. Additional money is raised through online donations and participants organizing fundraising events such as car washes and bake sales. This year’s Box City event raised approximately $39,000 for Family Promise programs.

“We’re great supporters, I mean, anyone in the community that needs our help, this is what we do here. We are a family in our community and we’re doing everything we can to pretty much help them out,” said participant Yurico Jaimes.

“I think that’s the beauty of Box City; not only is it a really important fundraiser for Family Promise, but we also have the opportunity to educate our children and explain to them what poverty means and what being homeless means,” said Nancy Taylor, a member of the Family Promise Board of Directors.

The night’s events also included live music and prizes for the most creative boxes and an Honorary Mayor Award for the person who raised the most money.