Volunteer assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Volunteer - Assignment Example volunteers to have a chance to give back, one can see too that it is not just the hungry and the unemployed that are being served here, but that those who serve are also getting so much in return. What I personally got from this experience is something that is very hard to quantify and to put into words, and I suspect that for every volunteer it is different too. What I can say for myself is that this experience opened my eyes to the reality of poverty, how it is sometimes beyond the personal capacity of a person to prevent, that it is something that can hit anybody at any time. Looking at the mix of people who were served too, one can see that this is not just about food, it is also about being able to rely on something that is constant and nourishing, in a world that can be so unpredictable and dangerous, being out on the streets and unable to find work and the means to support oneself. Going to the soup kitchen, they can expect nourishment, and they can expect to have this repriev e from the randomness of their lives five days a week. It is a lifeline. On the other hand for volunteers this is also a kind of lifeline, something that is likewise constant and something that volunteers can rely on, as a kind of refuge too, in a way. People need this kind of avenue for giving back to New York as well (Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen). Looking at the people too, and hearing about some of their lives, what they have been through and what they are currently going through, I realize that sometimes life can hit you hard and there is sometimes no way to prepare for what is going to come next. This contextualizes the readings and discussions in class, in terms of bringing this subjective and personal perspective into homelessness and poverty. Reflecting further, I realize poverty in New York is something that can happen to me too, and that therefore I am really doing this work partly for myself. In normal times these kinds of thoughts and insights will not enter my mind, and it