Miami never fails us and still manages to be beautiful, even in the rain. Today our lovely ladies visited the Salvation Army to help prepare meals for their soup kitchen. Our help wasn’t needed initially so we had a discussion that I think spoke to a lot of people. We discussed aspects of volunteering, focusing on where volunteering actually makes its impacts and how we can build a community that feels the responsibility to give back.
In volunteering at yesterday’s organic farm we planted only one row of eggplants and peas. Initially I didn’t feel as if I had made a difference but in group discussion we saw all the many impacts that our simple planting will have. The majority of our impact will come from the awareness that we will bring back with us to Blacksburg. We learned that if the US were to close all of its borders then we would be only 9 days away from no food. We discussed the importance of buying local, which also includes buying within the US, which will keep money circulating in our country, help the farmers businesses, and enable the US to be self-sufficient. By later telling friends, we help that farmer as well as American farms in general to succeed. Our single row of plants saved the farmer and his helper one days worth of work, an immediate benefit, but our newfound awareness makes a continuous impact. Another important point was that we established that volunteering is very important to us but much frustration was felt in the task of trying to convince others to join in our efforts. Lauren Fialkow pointed out that lecturing does not work; to move people to volunteer it is first necessary is to give them an experience which in turn makes them passionate to learn and then to act. Amanda Werner made a point that volunteering in her sorority is not only required but also accessible and fun because all of her friends are also doing it. Sororities are known for their focus on philanthropy work and from this I gathered that volunteering can be cultural. We should strive to create a community where volunteering is a fun and easy everyday act and social expectation. This way the feeling of responsibility to give back will naturally be incorporated. By having the discussion first, I think that there was more awareness and appreciation for our actions as we did that days tzedakah.
At the Salvation Army’s soup kitchen, we met girls from the University of Georgia who were also on an alternative spring break and helping out at the shelter. Impressively, their group of fourteen was completely student organized and run. Very sadly, the group of people that we served food to were all HIV positive. We prepared a meal of sandwiches, French fries, salad and popsicles for them. The average life time cost of medicine for the average HIV patient is 500,000$. This Salvation Army provides a one year drug-free stay at the shelter with the price of medicine paid for. Afterwards we socialized with the salvation army residents. I am always surprised with how honest the less fortunate are. I think that because they are less burdened with daily worries they can often see the essential points of life more clearly. One man told me that, “the battle is not with the physical, it’s in your mind and how you perceive the world to be.” This relates back to our frustration with the task of trying to heal a troubled world, a task that seems overwhelming at times. His point could be interpreted that though we can’t fix everything, our perception and belief that success can come from even small acts will help us win the battle.
Angela and one of her friends who lives in Miami are part of Salsa Tech, the competitive salsa team at school. At night we joined them at a salsa club where we talked with their University of Miami friends, learned some salsa moves and watched Angela and her partner’s talented dancing.
Erin Wolpert
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