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What did you have for lunch? Where did you sleep last night? Were you cold?

Throughout the United States, there are homeless people who sleep in cardboard boxes, next to vents in the street, doorways, and any place they can find some shelter.

Recently, I went with 68 students from four different yeshiva high schools to Washington, D.C., to participate in a program called Panim el Panim, a four-day program that teaches students how they can help others in the world and make their voices heard. It also instructs participants in how to apply their Jewish values to addressing problems and effectively supporting causes important to them.

During the program, we met speakers from the National Coalition for the Homeless and learned that homelessness affects people from all walks of life. The National Coalition for the Homeless brought the students two contrasting speakers. We met with a recovered drug addict and alcoholic, who is now no longer homeless, and another who experienced homelessness after he lost his job and had a son with a high level of Autism. These two speakers shared their stories from the beginning. The room was completely silent when the speakers were finished.

"By hearing the two stories, my eyes were opened to new perspectives on life and values," said Alexi Gottlieb, a 10th grader. It's safe to say every student in the room realized how fortunate we are.

To continue this experience with the homeless, we participated in an activity called Street Torah. All the students brought clothes and necessities to distribute to the homeless in McPherson Square.

I had two experiences that had a particularly substantial impact on me. In one situation, a homeless man was given a package of three pairs of socks and then another man came over asking if there were any more socks left. When the students responded that they had no more socks, the homeless man with the socks kept one pair for himself and gave two pairs to the other man. Later, at the end of Street Torah, a man came up to me asking what I had left and I responded, "Sorry, I only have tank tops and tights." My response put a big smile on his face. "That's perfect," he said, "I have daughters."

Not only did Panim el Panim expose us to the plight of the homeless, but it also taught us how to help them. The following day, all the schools participated in lobbying our representatives in Congress. The night before, we all prepped for our specific cause. The following day, we met with the representatives of our particular senator or House representative and lobbied for action on homelessness, Iran issues, healthcare, gay rights, environment, and breast cancer awareness.

The impact of participating in this program was summed up nicely by a Kushner sophomore. "Panim el Panim was an experience that truly opened my eyes to a world I have never seen before," said Julianna Stadtmauer. "I feel that I became a much more appreciative person because of it."

Panim el Panim should not end once the four-day seminar is over. Each school and individual student should continue the program by trying to help and spread awareness of what he or she has learned. The schools should help the students form ideas on how to create programs in their towns and schools. With a roof overhead and plenty to eat, it's easy to forget those who are less fortunate. Wouldn't you like to be the one who changes someone's day for the better?

Tziona Breitbart is a sophomore at Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School, Livingston.