Chantal: Flowers and Paper Bags

The biggest thing I learned on this trip is how to serve and love people in everyday life with random acts of kindness. On Sunday, My group bought some flowers and handed them out to strangers. They didn't have to be homeless, which just gave a flower to anyone we thought needed one. People were very receptive and grateful. We were able to brighten someone's day with a small token of kindness.
On Monday, our group as a whole handed out PB&J sandwiches to the homeless. On the bags were kind and encouraging words. It was really fun being able to help make someone's day better with a small simple act.

~Chantal King

Manna of Life Ministries Outreach

Today, my group volunteered at Manna of Life Ministries in the Bronx. We made and packaged lunches with sandwiches, apples, bananas, and juice. After we finished making the bagged lunches, a smaller group went out and distributed them at three different sites. Two of these sites were gas stations and the other was at a halfway-house. I was really surprised at how many people we served in such a short amount of time since it was cold and raining. I guess it just goes to show how desperately some people need basic amenities like something to eat or drink and how important organizations like Manna of Life Ministries are in providing services to those in needs. One of the staff at Manna of Life Ministries was telling the group about how important volunteering is. He said that so many people think they're going to change the world but never do. The only way to change the world, he said, is to start small - whether it's in our own school, our own hometown, or even in someone else's community. Making a change in your everyday relationships will have a ripple effect. If you treat others kindly and do good for them, they will be inspired to be kind and do good deeds for others. In this way, a single person can make a huge difference. I saw that all of the people we served and all of the staff at Manna of Life Ministries really appreciated our presence there and our willingness to act on behalf of others. One man even remarked to a group of my friends and I, "The world needs more people like you."

-Kimberly 

Homelessness: Always a Problem

Today we spit up into two, and eventually three groups to help out with two different soup kitchens to serve the community. The morning began with piles and piles of tuna fish and PB&J followed by an assembly line of sandwiches and fruit. From there we split up into two groups to serve the food to the community, essentially an outreach program. Our driver, Jose, was our historian as well as tour guide of the Bronx. He had some very interesting stories, but the one thing that remained consistent was how when he was a kid and before most parts of the lower half of the city, such as the Bronx, Harlem, and East Side were full of drugs, prostitutes, and slums. However, today the only "poor" area that remains is the Bronx, and according to him one day even that will disappear. Yet what always remains consistent is the homeless and need for jobs no matter what district. We saw many unemployed immigrant workers standing underneath overhangs at gas stations just looking for day time work. These people come to America hoping to find jobs in order to send money back home only to be left out in the cold. It's really sad. While the rest of the city may have been cleaned up and dramatically changed since the 1970s, there is still a large homeless problem that needs to be addressed before the parts of the city can really be called "clean".
-Amy