This Intensive Learning taught me a lot about the Camden community. Moving forward with my volunteer time going back to Camden is a good possibility. I really enjoyed volunteering at the soup kitchen and seeing all the grateful people and how happy someone can be, despite being in the position they are. I would go back to the soup kitchen or do something like it very soon because my mom really wants my family to do something like that. I would help support New Visions because I do think that what they are doing is very important to rehabilitation. The only problem I had is that there were many very nice people at New Visions, but there were many people that didn’t want to talk at all. But just like the soup kitchen I found it very gratifying to see how happy the people that did want to talk were, and their stories can be very helpful or inspiring.
Moving forward from this trip, I think that the most important thing that I learned is to avoid getting caught up in my emotions. While serving food out the window at the Cathedral Food pantry, I had a bit of an emotional moment. When doing something like this, I think you just have to keep in mind that these people are so beyond grateful for what you are doing for them. Without the community giving back to these people, they may not be as happy as some are. You have to keep in mind that some of the people that you end up serving will be in all different states of mind. Some very happy, and some just living their lives. I felt as if the days where we experienced seeing what homelessness is really like were the most fulfilling days. It was rewarding to see the happy faces of the people at the window or those who we made conversation with at New Visions Day Shelter. The compliments and thank yous that I received made my day and I’m very grateful that I had this opportunity. My goal in the future is to keep contributing to the community of Camden through different programs and services. I would definitely like to go back and work/support with the Cathedral Kitchen and their different connections that they have with other Cathedrals.
In Community Empowerment we learned to appreciate everything that we have. I learned not to judge someone by the situation they may be in. I’ll carry this into the future and keep in mind not to make presumptions about someone based on how they look or how they live. I would revisit the Camden Children’s Garden. I would also go back to the Cathedral Kitchen because you could really see the difference that you were making in Camden’s Community. I would also go back to New Visions Homeless Day Center because it was a reality check for most of us. This day center was where I really saw another part of the need in Camden. Even this was a sugarcoated version, and we didn’t see the side of homelessness when they leave and have nowhere to go. Despite their situation most of the people there were kind and selfless. I learned that they were some of the wisest people you could talk to because they’ve been through so much. I would support all of the places we visited because they’re all doing good for the community of Camden.
After volunteering for a full week at different organizations and doing many different jobs, there are a few organizations I would love to go to back to. My favorite organization we went to was the Cathedral Food Pantry. For the two days we were there, I felt that I had not only learned about their role in the community but also the amount of work that goes in behind the scenes for this organization. The Cathedral Food Pantry is not funded by any government loans, so every few days the volunteers go to local food places like ShopRite and Wawa to collect day old breads and other products that are perfectly fine. The first day I was cutting up pies and bagging snacks for hours. Near the end, I was told to go to the window, which I was a bit hesitant about. Once I started serving to the window and interacting with the people coming up for sandwiches and snacks, I realized that so many of these people were so caring and nice. There is no doubt in my mind that I will go back to the Cathedral Food Pantry or an organization similar to it.
I think this entire week has been a wake-up call for our group. There are so many people in the city of Camden who have literally nothing. Even though we met and saw many homeless people throughout the week, we still saw the homeless experience through a sugarcoated lens. When we visited the shelters and food pantries, at least the people there were being helped and given food. Some homeless people don’t even have access to resources like the food and shelter provided by the organizations that we visited. Although we volunteered for the whole week for organizations that worked with underprivileged people, sometimes it felt like we weren’t making an impact at all. We completed all of the tasks that the organizations asked us to, but it seemed like these tasks were not permanent or significant. At least I felt like I was helping a little bit, even though I wasn’t helping the people of Camden that much in the long haul. I came to the realization that sometimes you can only help so much. It takes long hard work to make a large impact on someone’s life. The people who run and operate these organizations day after day are really the ones who are truly making an impact in changing a struggling community.
This Intensive Learning was really beneficial and eye-opening for me. It was a new experience, and I hadn’t really done anything like it before. One of my favorite places where we volunteered was the food pantry. Everybody there was very willing to help, and it made me feel good to see that I may have made somebody’s day better with just a small act. Though it was difficult to see what kind of poverty there was, it was a very eye-opening experience, and it is an organization that I would like to support moving forward. I also like the Seeds of Hhope organization, and think that they have a really inspiring story. That was probably my favorite organization out of the ones that we were involved in. It really felt like they were making a difference, and had very good intentions. Lastly, I really enjoyed going to the homeless day shelter. Though it was difficult for me at first, I was able to have some really great conversations with people, and it helped me to remember that all of the people who were there were normal people, and it was very interesting to hear their stories.
I learned a lot about the homeless population in Camden through my Intensive Learning experience. Moving forward I would definitely continue to raise awareness of the options the homeless population have so people in other communities can donate food. When we went to the Cathedral Kitchen we learned that all it took was a group of people making PB & J sandwiches with a nice note on them to make someone’s day. Taking out some time from your day to make a simple meal for someone is the most basic form of service we as a community can do, but it leaves such an impact on those in need. I would definitely go back and help out in both of the Cathedral Kitchens. Additionally, I believe that our school could come together and start a drive like we do for MLK day and gather socks, underwear, and toiletries, which are things I learned the homeless really need but don’t receive enough of.
This week was both informative and interesting. I really enjoyed the Cathedral food pantry and would go back there and I would continue to support them with resources as well. I also would support the Anna Sample house and New Visions with donations, but I do not think that they need many volunteers as they seem to have a pretty good system on their own. Overall this week was a good way to see how the community of Camden supports people who are struggling.