Convoy of Hope
On July 25th my family and I met at Faith Community Church around five in the morning. The big day had finally come. The day we were going to help the citizens of Ferguson, Missouri through the nonprofit organization Convoy of Hope. The city of Ferguson that was known for protesting was given a chance of hope that day. There was a total of forty churches and one-thousand volunteers in the St. Louis area that came to the event to help supply food, clothing, and haircuts for the citizens. In addition, with the help of many charities and donations, the city was also given over thirty-five thousand pounds of food. That day my church group and I were on a mission to make peace, and bring exhilaration to the community.
The church bus
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had dropped us off at the Forestwood park that morning, where the mission had taken place. Our Faith Community Church group had discussed the night before that we would be in charge of filling grocery bags for the day. This meant that we would be stuffing plastic bags with different snacks and meals that we would later be distributing to the citizens of Ferguson. We first created a system that helped us fill many bags in a short amount of time. This system consisted of us volunteer unloading many large boxes filled with a variety of foods out of a semi-truck. We then formed a line with the boxes so that we could walk down the line with a grocery bag and fill the bags with food. Each volunteer had their own task. Some handed out food to put in the bags while others had carried the bags around collecting the food. Once each bag was filled we tied them up diligently and had placed them on a table. Before we knew it we had completely filled all the bags. As a result, we had over sixteen tables overflowing with the groceries which were then offered to the people as they left the park. Many volunteers even helped carry the groceries to the citizens cars. It was amazing to see all of the smiling faces of many denominations. The people of Ferguson were very thankful and left the park with a new outlook on the city. What a life changing day. The park soon enough came to a close. Though we had a successful day giving away bags there were still many groceries left. We could never waste all the food so we volunteers began to brainstorm what to do with the rest. So we came to the conclusion that there was a food pantry not too far from the Forestwood park. So our pastor called the food pantry right away asking if there was enough room in the pantry for all of the left over groceries. Sure enough, the people who work at the pantry were glad we called and said they would be more than happy to take them. So our next stop was the food pantry. Once we got to the food pantry we immediately formed a line to get all the groceries bags into the building.
Next we passed the bags down in a line to start filling the empty shelves. I remember all the shelves in the pantry being vacant before we got there. After lots of lifting, passing, and carrying, all the groceries finally overflowed the shelves. Our work there was finally done and our church group then met with the people from the food pantry. They were crying tears of joy and had explained to us that they have been praying for more food to come. It was difficult to not be able to supply food for others in need; however, the pantry was overflowing. We had brought them another sign of hope.
This experience has given hope and has made me realized miracles really happen. As I reflect on that day I have learned a lot of things about myself; such as my aspirations and goals for the future. One day I desire to have a career that serves others in need. It felt so great to help supply food for the community. Over two- thousand people were given free groceries, shoes, and haircuts. This experience truly changed me and reminded me of how blessed I am. I can’t wait to volunteer with Convoy of Hope for many years to
come!
On September eleventh, two thousand one, the entire world was stunned when two Airline jets hit the world trade center killing thousands and injuring more. This was the largest terrorist attack the world has ever seen. This attack caused extreme terror and panic but it also caused something even more, it caused people to come together. No matter their race, religion or social standings people from all walks of life came together that day to help. In the documentary Boatlift, the film shows this phenomenon, and talks of and about people from every walk of life that came together to help their fellow human beings and Americans.
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