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Sociological perspectives for homelessness
Sociological perspectives for homelessness
Perspective of homelessness
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Numerous women stood out the doors of a women's only soup kitchen and as I walked passed them I watched as their exhausted faces brightened up knowing that we were the ones who were about to end their hunger. On this Tuesday evening I had the opportunity to volunteer at a soup kitchen which later helped me realize that life isn't all about taking but instead about giving. Before this point in my life I went on in my own world with no knowledge of how privileged I really was. I took normal things such as food, a cozy home, and other basic necessities required to live a decent lifestyle for granted. Volunteering opened my eyes and allowed me to realize that we as citizens of a world we all can and should help one another in order to better society. …show more content…
I decided to not only assist those who needed a warm bed and a meal but I also spread my help to other organizations and local places. I began to help my church lending them a hand during events or just simply ushering during sunday mass. In the summers between school I also began to help a summer school program at a neighborhood elementary in which I helped around the class. During school I also made sure to sign up for every blood drive that the American Red cross conducted. And most recently I decided to donate twelve inches of my hair to Locks of Love, an organization that makes and donates wigs to children who are struggling with cancer. I no longer see volunteering as a way to sign off hours of service but instead something impactful. The reason why I volunteer and will continue to volunteer is because I know that I could make a difference by reaching out and touching the lives of others in a positive way. After seeing how grateful these women were for the basic necessities us more privileged people take for granted, I came to an understanding that in order to better our community we must all help one another. Through this experience I was able to attain satisfaction by helping others who couldn't fully help themselves and I learned to give back to those who need it the
Many service projects have had an impact on my life, but the significant one is the time that our group put together Blessing Bags. The Blessing Bags were bags put together for homeless people. This project had an impact on my life because at one point in time, my family struggled. We did not have a stable home and we had to continue movie because of the living expenses. It is very difficult to buy many products that are needed for personal hygiene, especially if someone does not have a stable home. There are many people that live in the streets and it breaks my heart. Whenever I see homeless people, I give them what I can. Although my family did not become homeless, I could not imagine living in the streets without any food, clothing, or products
The lunch bell rung at full volume as the main doors flung open. I predicted that a herd of people will rush in like the water from a spill gate. But instead every person was a line; in fact it was a neat single filed line. Another thing I was astonished to see was to the fact that every single person I served to was superbly well mannered. It was the magical word of thank-you which left great remarks in my life and made my volunteering experience an enjoyable one. After the shift, I have come to realize that everything my family and friends have said about impoverished people was nothing but just a stereotype. In addition, I have self-discovered that volunteering is what I want to do on my spare time. The joy from making new friends, appreciated and making a difference in society was too meaningful to put in words. From then on, volunteering had become one of my most highly valued priorities. Whenever I have time to spare, I will go
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 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.”
Volunteering at the food bank was an interesting experience. While I was working, I did have time to reflect on the things I was seeing. There were lots of observations to be made. The first thing that caught my eye was the type of people that were volunteering with us. While there was a both men and women helping.
I am dedicated to helping out our community and school, because it warms my heart and soul. Seneca said in about 40 to 60 A.D. that you should “be silent as to services you have rendered, but speak of favors you have received.” In other words you should not boast about the numerous projects you have accomplished and how much physical work you executed, but rather pride yourself on how you helped people in community and school, and how you have affected their lives with positive means. I feel life is joyous and it should be the feeling everyone illustrates, and this is exactly what keeps me functioning in the stressful world today. I find comfort in helping others to make their lives a little more like heaven and this comfort motivates me to perform copious service projects to the best of my capability whenever I find the time. Time is fair to the rich, the poor, and to every race, because time is equal and gives everyone 24 hours daily to accomplish their required tasks. Because time is so valuable and I am occupied by difficult advanced placement and honor classes and juggle school, clubs, sports, and friends, I joined Key Club, a high school division of the adult service club, Kiwanis. Key Club opened new doors to make every extra minute count towards helping others.
When I was younger my grandfather would take me to a kitchen where I would help put together bags of food and other necessities for homeless people in the area. My grandmother worked at a nursing home so I would come up and entertain the people who didn’t get many visitors, and assist them to the best of my abilities. Helping those people every other week was so much fun, and I have always just loved helping out people in any way possible. I even helped from home, by helping my mom with bake sales that the profit made would go to various charities. I am not in StuCo, but I usually help them pack food for families in need through “Got Your
It was the summer of 2013 when I was living with my grandparents and they told me about volunteering at the church. I didn’t know what they were talking about, so I took the initiative to go find out for myself that following Sunday. I was in the balcony on Sunday, when I heard the announcements saying we can volunteer for their hope food pantry. I was excited because it was going to be a chance where I can help other and get community service hours. Volunteering I began to think positive thoughts and telling myself “ I am doing a good deed”.
We’ve all heard the phrase “Charity begins at home.” This statement holds very true in my case, not because we needed help but rather because we were taught at an early age to provide help whenever possible. In our current economy there are many people not just in our community but throughout the world and beyond that are struggling. I was fortunate to grow up in a household with two loving parents who shared the importance of fundamental beliefs and values. Cynthia Street, the street I grew up on, was a comfortable middle class neighborhood that served as my first perspective of American life. Through my experiences in my neighborhood and also my interaction with my church family at Central Christian Church in Newark, I learned the importance of outreach work.
I started volunteering at the food bank and the soup kitchen in grade 9, with a nudge from my friend. During my time as a volunteer, I would ask for donations and collect any non-perishable food items. Later I would go to the Soup Kitchen, to help cook some of these items and serve them to those in need. My volunteering experience allowed me to experience the environment and face situations that I otherwise would not. It opened my eyes to the harsh reality and lifestyle that many individuals in our society face today. My time at the food bank and Soup Kitchen helped me understand the importance of giving, ...
Every time I do some kind of service – I have the opportunity to learn new ideas, discover new perspectives and I've have grown as an individual. By giving back I like making people feel as though they matter, and it gives me a good feeling at the end of the day because I feel I have made a difference. I grow as a person each time I do volunteering. Some people do volunteering because they have to, but I do it because I want to. I love volunteering.
However, because it informed me about how large homeless was in the United States, as well as shaped my view of how charitable society should be, that homeless shelter in St. Louis has shaped my view of the world more than any other place. All the images have stuck with me throughout middle school, high school, and during my military career, and have truly shaped the type of person I try to be today. I donate a small percentage of my paycheck to various organizations each month, and if I see someone who’s struggling to get by and I have some money to spare, I’ll give them some change or offer to buy them a small meal. Over time, my view of the world and of society has changed directly because of experiences like these. As a society in general, I believe we focus too much on ourselves, and we get upset when we can’t make certain purchases, without thinking of those who really don’t have a penny to their name. I’m aware now of how widespread poverty is, especially compared to what I used to believe. Without a doubt, because of the places I’ve been, I’m now more informed about our society, and looking back, no place has made more of an impact on me than visiting that small homeless shelter in St.
Over the course of my career in high school, I volunteered multiple times a year at soup kitchens, retirement centres, daycares and in my final year I volunteered on a weekly basis at the YMCA in the Notre-Dame de Grace neighbourhood. My experiences at these particular functions provided a first-hand experience at viewing at the inequality within our society. While participating in the events, I saw children that came from both low income and high income families, clearly seeing the divide between those who possessed an excess and those who are struggling to provide food for their loved ones. While our legal system aims at eliminating inequality it still manages to trickle into our society and requires a significant amount of work and care in order to remedy the
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
A reflection of my volunteering experience can be summarized in two words: Life-changing. It is hard to explain the feelings that occur when you involve yourself in selfless acts for your community, such as volunteering. There is a feeling in your heart that you cannot ignore, maybe it is the happiness you feel or the overflow of emotions in helping others. In other words, it is a feeling in which you want to share with others. Maybe with a friend, maybe a classmate, maybe a family member, or maybe even a stranger. Either way, spreading how life-changing volunteering can be is a great start to making a positive change in your community by simply by involving others.
I also had the privilege of helping with the Meals on Wheels non profit organization. My grandfather used to be a Meals on Wheels recipient and he would share with me how he enjoyed looking forward to their company and a hot meal daily. I volunteered because I wanted to give back and help someone else’s loved one in the same way. It was very rewarding delivering hot meals to people who didn’t have the means of getting one as well as being there for them to talk to. Overall, it was a very humbling experience, it made me realize just how blessed I am and how much I take for granted daily.