It was still dark when the Rev. Joan Grant of Kalispell awoke early Saturday morning after spending the night sleeping in the back seat of her Honda Civic with her dog Lillie.

Sleeping quarters were a bit cramped, her legs dangling over the seat, but with some creature comforts — a down blanket and two pillows — she managed to get some rest Friday night.

Despite snow still on the ground and temperatures in the 30s, Jaycee Rocha of Kalispell attempted to sleep outside in a sleeping bag on top of a tarp, but drizzling rain forced Rocha to seek shelter in her car.

“At 4 a.m. I woke up and the sleeping bag was soaked,” Rocha said. “I went into my car and slept until 5 a.m. All I could think about was how people actually do this every night. This definitely made me grateful, blessed, for have what I have. It also makes me want to reach out to the kids in the valley.”

Grant and Rocha were among 12 board members and supporters of Sparrows Nest Northwest Montana participating in “12/12 — When the Night Comes” at 204 Seventh Ave. W., the site of a donated building that will become a shelter for homeless teens in the Flathead.

Rocha said the sleep-out event deepened her desire to help teens.

“These kids are too busy wondering what will happen after 3:15 when school gets out and focusing on things they shouldn’t have to worry about,” Rocha said. “They are scared about not having a place to sleep and what their friends are going to think. They are walking on eggshells all the time. If they’re couch surfing, they’re afraid of being a burden to families and afraid to accept help.”

Participants in the sleep-out, ranging in age from 19 to 80, met around bonfires at 7 p.m. Friday. They slept in tents, cars, on neighbor’s couches or inside the empty Sparrows Nest building to raise awareness of teen homelessness and donations to renovate the building.

At 7 a.m. Saturday, they gathered in the building to recap the experience, eat and plan for the future of Sparrows Nest Northwest Montana.

Through sponsorships and donations, $40,000 was raised, according to Marcia Bumke, chairwoman of Sparrows Nest. This was far beyond the organization’s $12,000 goal.

“I think people are getting it and it can’t be ignored anymore,” Linda Kaps, Sparrows Nest vice chairwoman, said about homelessness among area teenagers.

Kaps spent the night sleeping in a tent.

“I was worried more about my safety than cold,” Kaps said, noting that the experience heightened her concerns about the safety and security risks homeless teens face every day.

As Kaps spreads the message of Sparrows Nest in Columbia Falls where she works, advisory board member Laura Kochis reaches out to Whitefish where she lives.

“There’s a homeless situation there,” Kochis said. “Two years ago I met a Whitefish man in his 40s who was homeless in high school and his story knocked me to my knees.”

With the cold weather and the coming holidays, Bumke is filled with a sense of urgency to get the shelter operating.

“We need to get this going for kids especially with the holidays coming. We have to get this going. The sooner we do this the better,” Bumke said. “Whether people see them or not, the kids are out there. This is something you would not want to do night after night. It’s a safety issue.”

Bumke reached out to hug advisory board member Sister Judy Lund of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church. Lund had spent part of the night on a neighbor’s couch.

Lund assured her, “Awareness equals energy equals action.”

For more information, go to www.sparrowsnestnwmt.org, call 309-5196 or email sparrowsnestnwmt@gmail.com.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.