Today we worked at Focus: Hope to deliver the packaged boxes we made yesterday along with some corn flakes. But for me (Re: Avery), the surprises and fun started much earlier. I woke up this morning to balloons, some signs, and an awesome card- signed with notes by everyone else in the group. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it. During our morning discussion, I was gifted a smartie crown and necklace. I was surprised yet again when we went and got pierogis- something that I had eaten at the game yesterday. We’re about to eat them, and I’m excited!
Later, we’re having a celebratory dinner, and I’ve got no clue what the full extent of that will be. Why am I saying all of this to you? Because I want to highlight just how caring and compassionate the crew is. After knowing me for 3 days, they went to extreme lengths to celebrate my birthday- something I’m really thankful and grateful for. But I digress.
This morning, we delivered the 81 boxes and 162 packages of cornflakes to two senior citizen homes. We were greeted with great excitement by the residents, as this is their “helping hand” for groceries every month. As we went from home to home, we jammed in our two minivans- rightly named “Diva” and “Celeste”. We have become very close to our two modes of transportation, as we have learned they both have their own personalities and styles.
After delivering the boxes, and making our way through bags of chips and pop tarts, we went to Focus: Hope’s food center, where residents in the area can receive their “helping hand” in a grocery-store setting. We observed firsthand how Focus: Hope’s main goal is to make the lives of the residents in their adopted one hundred block village as best as possible. Each volunteer is so passionate and excited to be helping their community- so we felt just like home! Our grocery store was a multi step process. First, residents would come into our grocery store with an order form for a certain amount of food (1 order, 2 orders, etc.) Then they would walk along the makeshift aisles where groceries were added by volunteers at the request of the residents. These commodities included juice bottles, cornflake boxes, beans, rice, and milk. Then students would place these items into cardboard boxes that previously held these same items. Finally, they would help lift those boxes (they could weigh ~ 20 lbs) into the cars of the residents. While we could perform these tasks with minimal difficulty, they would have been very difficult for the senior citizens being aided. Additionally, we were all EXHAUSTED at the end of the day. We worked hard, and we’re very proud of what we accomplished.
Signing off for now,
Avery & Sarah