Day 4
After a nice long walk and a ride on the metro we arrived at the Capital Area Food Bank. It was founded on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday in 1980. They distribute over 1.9 million pounds of food each month through over 700 partner agencies. They also serve over 383, 000 residents and distribute approximately 23 million pounds of food each year.
After a short introduction we started sorting out canned goods, boxed foods and other items. For example, all tomato paste or sauce went into a designated bin and all canned vegetables went into another. It seemed like the boxes of donated food was never ending, which was reassuring to see though. The Capital Area Food Bank had several quotes displayed around the room for inspiration.
I loved this quote because it just emphasizes the fact that EVERYONE can volunteer. After sorting all these food items into their designated bins I felt good that they are one step closer to reaching people in need. Although I played a small part compared to the thousands of pounds of food, I feel like I made a difference. I even thought to myself that I should volunteer more often. It leaves you feeling energized and in high spirits!
Later that night, Angelique and I stayed over night at the Luther Place night shelter where the women resided. I have to admit that I was very nervous because I did not know what to expect. We received a brief orientation. At 11p.m. we turned off the communal TV, locked the doors, turned off the lights and then headed to our room to try and get some sleep. To be honest it was not the best sleep of my life because of questions like, "What if the women start fighting?" or "What if they get really sick?" that I pondered in my head. However, despite a few less hours of sleep the night went great!
We were instructed to wake the women up at 6a.m. and to our surprise one of the women came into our room and told us that is was 6a.m. (even though we were up and ready to go, hehe). All of these women were very motivated and ready to go. We administered medications to the women. All of them were respectful and well put together. If I saw these one of these women walking down the street the day before I would not believe they were homeless because they looked, well, just like everyone else. This helped me realize that the homeless do not fit into one stereotype but could be people just like you and me - They all have a unique story.
After a nice long walk and a ride on the metro we arrived at the Capital Area Food Bank. It was founded on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday in 1980. They distribute over 1.9 million pounds of food each month through over 700 partner agencies. They also serve over 383, 000 residents and distribute approximately 23 million pounds of food each year.
After a short introduction we started sorting out canned goods, boxed foods and other items. For example, all tomato paste or sauce went into a designated bin and all canned vegetables went into another. It seemed like the boxes of donated food was never ending, which was reassuring to see though. The Capital Area Food Bank had several quotes displayed around the room for inspiration.
I loved this quote because it just emphasizes the fact that EVERYONE can volunteer. After sorting all these food items into their designated bins I felt good that they are one step closer to reaching people in need. Although I played a small part compared to the thousands of pounds of food, I feel like I made a difference. I even thought to myself that I should volunteer more often. It leaves you feeling energized and in high spirits!
Later that night, Angelique and I stayed over night at the Luther Place night shelter where the women resided. I have to admit that I was very nervous because I did not know what to expect. We received a brief orientation. At 11p.m. we turned off the communal TV, locked the doors, turned off the lights and then headed to our room to try and get some sleep. To be honest it was not the best sleep of my life because of questions like, "What if the women start fighting?" or "What if they get really sick?" that I pondered in my head. However, despite a few less hours of sleep the night went great!
We were instructed to wake the women up at 6a.m. and to our surprise one of the women came into our room and told us that is was 6a.m. (even though we were up and ready to go, hehe). All of these women were very motivated and ready to go. We administered medications to the women. All of them were respectful and well put together. If I saw these one of these women walking down the street the day before I would not believe they were homeless because they looked, well, just like everyone else. This helped me realize that the homeless do not fit into one stereotype but could be people just like you and me - They all have a unique story.
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