Project Reflection

            I’ve always been intrigued in the people on the corner holding that cardboard sign asking for any form of money to survive. I never asked myself how they got there or what could drive a human to humiliate himself for just enough to get by. That is one of the major factors that lead me in accepting the theme of homelessness as our group project theme. On the course of this final project I have learned through serving and that I could not get from anywhere else.

            The first requirement of the project was to serve 6 hours in any place that was related to your topic. I chose St. Vincent de Paul’s kitchen at Haven for Hope. At first glimpse it’s not the place you’d see yourself in but the cause they serve is great and I took advantage of the opportunity to meeting new people and hearing their stories. Of course, I spoke to people while doing duties. Some of the duties were preparing the meals for lunch and stocking incoming donations of food items in the fridge or stock room.  

            I was humbled to see all the food that was donated. I had never seen that much food but to be honest the amount of food available tends to not be enough for the number of people coming to be fed. It made me realize that a swipe to the café (even though the food isn’t all that great) is all I need to get an endless amount of food.  I felt guilty and thought to myself, well if we all have enough food here at the café why can’t the homeless be fed. Then I thought, well I wouldn’t mind having a day where we feed the homeless so maybe one day we can have a haven for hope/ St. Mary’s university collaboration.

            In addition, there was one individual that stuck out to me. His name was Rufus. He’s an African American male who was brought into the haven for hope a couple years in order to get his life back together like most homeless people. The haven for hope program helps homeless people get back on their feet by allowing them to participate in sessions that focus on providing help for their problems. I always believed people who were homeless either decided to become homeless or fell into poverty from a job loss. The reality is that people fall into homelessness because of mental illness, divorce, depression and a series of reasons.

In this society I have learned that when we fall into hard times the first people we look for help from is our own family. However, what happens when you don’t have that. It makes it that much harder to roll with the punches and most of the time we get knocked down to this deep hole. I learned that many of the problems are could easily be solved if we all just came together and incorporated resources. 

Along the way in life I have landed in positions that have made me reflect deeply within about who I am, who I want to become, and how to become it. This class has showed me the importance of four skills that I will take with me for the rest of my life. They are experience, make meaning, reflect, and share. These four key components allowed me to realize that who I am is not who I want to continue to be.

            Over this course taken on the theme of homelessness truly opened my eyes and made me reflect on my own personal life and where I stand both economically and mentally. I have heard the saying that things happen for a reason and although this is somewhat true, things also happen because you wanted them to happen. Each decision you make has a reward or a consequence that is why when making a decision we should calculate all the variables to the decision.

            I’ve grown as a person; I’ve taken my faith and have faced a problem in this class. This is merely a small reflection of the impact made within the awakening and me I received that we are called to be servers of the people and not to be served.