Angel Food

Growing up in a military lifestyle I have always seen many different walks of lives, from the fortunate to the less unfortunate. When I was younger each year my parents and I would donate the clothes I haven’t wore over a year to either shelters or Goodwill organizations. I was so eager to drive back, I think when I was twelve, I decided to go to the local shelter in my community and meet a girl that was around my same age and take her shopping for Christmas and not to receive anything from my parents, because all I wanted was to give back. This was the most touching thing I thought I have done to give back to my community until a couple of weeks ago. So this week I had the opportunity to volunteer with my friend Ashley at the Irving Cares Center. On the way there I thought that it wasn’t going to be much, possibly just like you see in the media with people handing out meals at Churches. However, I was wrong! The mindset that I had engraved in my mind was completely based on the media which was a little disappointing after I volunteer. We actually had got to prepare the food. We made spaghetti, with garlic bread, and had fruit for dessert. After that gave out the food, we got to sit down and talk with the people. There was on lady named Teresa that had twin girls. Their names were Bethany and Brittany. The little girls were so adorable, but the cleared their plates so fast they were asking for more. It seemed to me as if they didn’t eat that day or didn’t eat big meals too often. So I went to go get the girls a second plate and right once I gave them their plates their mother just started crying. I had asked her what was wrong with her, she replied that “She was so blessed that her girls were able to eat today.” I looked at her and smiled. She started to tell Ashley and me, the reason why they were there in the first place. She said that her husband had heart problems and they were in so much debt because of it. After the recession was put into play her job had to take away some of their health benefits, then let her go. This put them in major debt. She said that nine months later he passed away and that they are still in debt and that she is barely getting welfare checks to take of her and her two girls. Her husband was just a construction worker working under the table which affected them tremendously after her husband got sick. After listening to Teresa’s story working for just a couple of hours embedded in my mind that I am blessed to live the lifestyle I live and have all the luxuries that I have. After reading Bruni, he says “With a job like this one the learning curve is endless, and it takes you in directions you never expected to go.” This had me thinking that once I graduate I would want to give back in such a way that I did that day. According to Spoiled: Organic and Local Is So 2008, Roberts says, “We can't wait for the perfect solution to emerge; we need to start transforming the food system today”. This experience touched my heart in such as way that I want continuing to help contribute to breaking this cycle of people who are uncaring and show more support to others in need with shelter and food.
As I was saying my goodbyes to everyone that was helping out at the Irving Cares Center, I took back so many things from it all. The main thing of it was that I gained helping a person or a family can honestly go a long way. Another thing I got from it was, not everyone has the same story and everyone comes from different walks of lives just as how I grew up. This experience was the best feeling I had from volunteering in a long time. I couldn’t believe that doing so little could go such a long way, and be a blessing in return.