Last Sunday (November 13th), I helped make food for the homeless and afterward went there to give them the food in a cafeteria. At first, I didn't want to go because I didn’t know how the homeless people were like, if they were on the streets or living in poor houses. Even though I thought I wouldn't l like it, I went to support my team, Jerusalem. My mother and I went to the JCC (Jewish Community Center) by car. It was where the food was going to be made. Since we came late, I thought all the food was already made, but boy was I wrong. Basically none of the food was done, so could help out a lot. I started making the cheese bread. It was just a slice of cheese between loafs of bread. I met most of the people working there, and most of them were kids …show more content…
After finishing the bread some of us moved to make marshmallow popcorn. Sounds delicious, right? We first melted the marshmallows in the microwave. Then, we put the melted marshmallows with the popped popcorn and later add the butter. When we finished two complete trays of marshmallow popcorn balls, we packed our food and headed to the homeless’ building. I didn’t know how the people inside were going to look, or how far away the building was, or even when we’d start serving food, but I knew that I was doing the right thing for my group and the community. After traveling by car for around ten minutes we arrived. We had to wait for the other people in our group because we had left a bit earlier than them. When we all there, we carried the food up this weird escalator machine that would only hold items as big as a couple pillows. The food was sent, and all of us went up to the cafeteria floor. I was so excited but so nervous at the same time. We set up the trays of food and put our white hair caps to keep our hair from not falling into the food. Approximately 15 minutes after we were set up, the first person came in to get
Healthcare for the Homeless (HCH) started in 1985 and was one of the first 19 Federal Funded projects. In the early 80’s, they recognized that homelessness was an issue. In 1987, it was operated out of bonds in Liberty Heights. In 1989, they moved to Park Ave and stayed there for 20 years. In 2010, they moved to Fallsway and still are there till this day and are expanding their building. HCH provides tons of services for the homeless population such as physical health care services, behavioral health care services, and supportive services such as finding housing, keeping housing, finding jobs and much more. HCH wants to decrease the homeless population statistics and provide second chances for everyone individual.
Many of the people living in food deserts are people with low income. These low-income families often turn to the junk food provided at the convenience stores and fast food restaurants because it is all they can afford. Socio-economic status is a defining characteristic of food deserts. Food deserts are most commonly found in areas dominated by minorities and low-income families. Studies show that wealthy areas have about triple the amount of supermarkets as poor urban areas do. In addition to this, predominantly white communities have about 4 times as many grocery stores as predominantly black ones do. Studies also show that grocery stores in African-American neighborhoods are usually smaller and have less option when it comes to the selection of foods.
This past summer, I acquired an internship at Baldwin and Lyons, an insurance company in Indianapolis. Every Wednesday during my internship, a couple of employees and I would participate in a prodigious community service project, Meals on Wheels. Throughout the three months that I worked at Baldwin and Lyons, I got acquainted with some of the individuals whom we delivered to. These inspiring individuals were so grateful and appreciative that we took time out of our day to volunteer to do such a service. One elderly woman who we delivered to would sing to us as she came to the front door “good meals, good meals, good meals.” She is one woman that I will never forget. First going into this, I was elated knowing I was I getting out of the office for a few hours. I did not comprehend the fulfillment I would receive from delivering meals to the elderly and disabled. But I am pleased and proud of the work that I have done for Meals on Wheels. There is no better feeling than doing something for someone else and seeing such gratitude for something so simple. Acts 20:35 says, “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Peterson). In an effort to revisit and make a difference in my community, I have arranged that over Thanksgiving break, I work Monday through Wednesday delivering for Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana.
Firstly, I chose to volunteer in the kitchen because the position required no special experience or skills in cooking. Therefore, I knew I could effectively work as a volunteer kitchen assistant (Expectancy). Secondly, I put a lot of effort in cleaning kitchen equipment and utensils and organizing the pantry to ensure the cooks had a smooth time cooking food. I knew that my actions would ensure that the food was cooked in time and served to numerous homeless people, who would, in turn, appreciate our efforts with thanks and smiles on their faces (instrumentality). Actually, our clients (the homeless people) did appreciate our efforts with thanks and smiles on their faces. This made me see the great impact I had participated in making on the lives of these homeless people by helping them get a healthy meal, which would extend their life by some time. I was really happy about this since I have always wanted to positively change people’s
As the world population grows so does the amount of people that live without the proper amount of nutrition and food. Hunger in America can be hard to recognize and many people do not realize that hunger and malnutrition is a problem that many Americans face every day. America is the land of plenty and one of the most powerful and wealthy countries in the world, however is well known that is subject to problem such as starvation, considered as “third-world problem”. For decades, Americans have gone above and beyond to aid other countries that were faced with problems such as malnutrition and hunger. Sadly, the US has failed to aid them and millions are currently suffering from hunger. In addition, with how the economy is now, the effects of hunger are getting worse every day. Many Americans are relying and most of them depend on food stamps and private organizations to help with this crisis. The documentary, “A Place at the Table” by Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush present some issues and real life story to explain what is really happening and how hunger and obesity are not problems on opposite ends of a spectrum, but are in fact intricately linked. Poor nutrition, health problem and poverty are all related.
“Homelessness can be the cause as well as the result of poor health” (Wise, Emily, Debrody, Corey &ump; Paniucki, Heather, 1999, p.445). This is a reoccurring theme that has existed within the homeless population for decades. While programs to help reduce this constant circle are being put in place all over the country to provide medical services for the homeless to be able to go to, many are still finding that health care needs for individuals as well as homeless communities are not being met. Many studies have been completed that study both the opinion on healthcare by those who have access to sufficient health care and homeless people’s perceptions on health care administration. While many companies are working to provide more personal health care systems, it appears that the larger problem is with a lack of people know about the health care systems that are in place to help them. Companies are trying to advertise more often to inform homeless people that there is health care out there for them.
The Homeless in America I never imagined that I would be homeless. " Although I have read this statement over and over again, the facts behind it remain astonishing. The facts are that there are millions of homeless people in America today. Many of these people had no choice but to become homeless. Economic problems such as being laid off work, or the rise in the cost of housing, have led people to live on the streets.
“What if you woke up today with what you thanked God for yesterday?” I saw this sign hanging on a wall at a friends house, and it shocked me when I read it. I would have absolutely nothing. I have so much to be thankful for, but I never thought about any of it. I would not have any of my possessions, that at this point in time seemed like necessities, or any of my friends and family. I am not saying you have to become religious to be thankful for something, but there are people that do not have any of these things that we find necessary for basic survival. After a long day at school or work some people do not have the privilege of laying in a nice comfy bed, and have the privilege of having food at their disposal whenever they desire. These less fortunate people make up the homeless population in not only the US, but the world. Homelessness is a problem, because society stereotypes and discriminates against them, it has been on the rise without any effort to stop it, and it is dangerous to peoples health.
There are currently over 200 million people living on this earth with no place to call their home. England contains a very small percentage of this population, around .002%, while its capital, London, holds an even smaller amount. This small amount is not surprising, because the United Kingdom has a very encompassing Safety Net. This Safety Net is in place to help those who are or are about to become homeless. In fact the United Kingdom’s Safety Net is one of the most comprehensive in the world (“Homelessness Facts and Figures”). Unfortunately many people still end up homeless, over 6,000 in the city of London. Many, more fortunate people, strive to help those sleeping on the streets, whether on their own or through a charity like St. Mungo’s on Broadway. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is an unfortunate amount of people who are not only apathetic, but cruel to the people left in a tough situation. These people, and all other people, are homeless too, searching to find a home in heaven. Humans are not
I always see a homeless person. Whether on the streets, an alley or even the subway. You’ll always see one every time you visit. I get to help one homeless person one time while I was staying in the city for 3 days. It was 12:30 am and I was about to head back to the hotel, but I was thirsty, so I went to a convenience store near, when I saw a girl sitting outside a convenience store. She looks young, probably a young adult. I was thinking, maybe that girl hadn’t eaten anything, and if maybe I could grab her some food. I went inside the store, the only thing I need to buy is a bottle of water, but I ended up buying sandwiches, fruits and a two bottles of water. I took 1 bottle of water out and give the rest of the bag to her. She was smiling and said “thank you”. My response is “you’re welcome” and smiled back. Helping the homeless is one of the little things that makes me happy. It might a small thing for me, but if I put it on their perspective, it is something very
"I work off and on. Mostly day work is all there is. Used to be a teacher. I'd like to find a good job, but how? When you're on the street, you've got one set of clothes, two if you're lucky, and they're always dirty. No place to shave, shower, clean up. And any job that's decent will ask for an address, phone number, a driver's license. It's hard to break out of the cycle and into focus. " --Mark (a homeless person)
The social conditions in which homeless youth find themselves, may result in absence of or poor access to nutritious food. This can be defined as food insecurity, where an individual has the inability to consume an adequate diet (Health Canada, 2012). For the youth living on streets, education becomes an obstacle, which may lead to unstable work, and therefore inconsistent income. They have to settle with low value jobs to earn just enough to feed themselves on a daily basis – the hand-to-mouth concept. Therefore, there are very limited options that the homeless youth are left with when it comes to food. When buying food, they tend to choose the cheaper alternative foods which are usually unhealthy and have little to no nutritional value to the body. Examples of these kinds of food include pizza, burgers, or perishable food items that are ready-to-eat (Dachner & Tarasuk, 2002). From our everyday experience, one can say that too much unhealthy foods can cause long-term health issues, ranging from diabetes to heart disease. Eventually, the immune system weakens, and serious complications may occur for the individual. It may be difficult for the homeless youth to access any health care services; so many times the symptoms for these diseases can go undiagnosed. At times, the homeless youth tend to go extending periods of time without food, resulting in intense hunger. Hunger is the consequence of food insecurity. It is the resulting feeling of discomfort, weakness, illness and pain – all of which play a great role on the health of youth (Jovanovic, Lecture 9). Though free food is available through charitable food programs such as food banks, they may not be accessible and travelling may not be an option, especially if they suffer fro...
I went to the grocery store and got cases of water, bags of bread, and stuff to make the sandwiches. I had finished preparing the bags and each had granola bars, fruit, ham and cheese sandwiches, water, toothpaste, and other hygiene products. My dad and I had arrived outside the homeless shelter and were ready to pass the bags out as we saw the swarm of people. Hundreds maybe even thousands of people gathered sitting in what little shade there was. I knew we had a homeless problem, but not to this extent and the bags I had made were going to make little to no difference on the vast amount of people that had been sitting outside. I was a little disappointed at first to be completely honest because I was not prepared for that many people. If I would have known there would have been so many people I would have made more bags. We drove around the block planning on what we were going to do and saw some tents set up. My dad and I were curious as to what they were, so we got out the car and saw that these people had been giving people food and I walked up to them and asked if there was any way I could help them. These people in the tents were actually an organization called Open Arms Outreach and a few girls scouts. They gladly let us help and we brought a few cases of water and the bags I had made and helped pass them out. The organization Open Arms Outreach
My first shift started on February 21, 2014, there was not a training session or orientation. The majority of the work at the site was something one would do around their own home. As soon as I stepped in and introduced myself to the site supervisor, I was put to work. I started with making juice and filling the container with water. Then I worked with another volunteer putting warning label on boxes to warn people of hot plate. Then it was time to open up and start serving food, I was on desert duty. It was easy, which allowed me to make observations and make mental notes. I noticed the majority of the people vising this particular soup kitchen in Livermore were Caucasian, and varied in ages. There are some that appears to be in their 60s, and a couple groups that appears to be in the low 20s and homeless. Although majority of the customers are homeless, some have a house of their own. Ev...
Homelessness is everywhere, it is not a new trend and is a growing problem. Many people ask themselves should I help the homeless or not; it is easier to just ignore the problem than to give a helping hand. Every person needs help at one point or another in their life and homeless people should be no different. Assisting the homeless with healthcare, housing, and childcare are ways people are able to and should help the homeless.