Community Service Paper

Justin Coletto

Period 6

April 12, 2011

My Community Service Experience

            Over 50 million Americans are forced to live with poverty or some sort of struggle to get food; this equals out to be roughly 1 out of 6 Americans are living in poverty or struggle to get food (3). Poverty is spreading throughout the United States as well as all around the world; studies show that half of all Americans will live in poverty at one point in their lives before they turn 65 years old (3). In 2004, 120 Americans died from starvation and the average infant death rate caused by starvation is about 200 every year (2). Poverty is becoming a huge problem for many families and individuals in the United States. There are many easy ways to help out our less fortunate fellow Americans with their struggles, such as donating food or volunteering at a food bank or a food drive like Erma Bombeck said, “Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain love for one another.” (8).

(Part 1)            There are nearly 3.5 million homeless people living in America (37,000 in New York Alone) each year but the numbers are constantly climbing due to the combination of our falling economy and loss of jobs (4). About 90 percent of homeless people in American are found in urban areas. Over 50 million Americans struggle to get food to feed themselves and their family on a day-to-day basis; this is where the food banks come into play. “A food bank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes mostly donated food to a wide variety of agencies that in turn feed the hungry.” (5) How do these food banks get all their food? All of it is donated either from growers, manufacturers, distributers, and retailers who are over-stocked and can’t sell all their products or even from warm-hearted individuals but the process isn’t even close to being over (5). Once the food is donated, the food bank must sort out all of the good and bad stuff because believe it or not, some people donate contaminated goods such as rusted cans or moldy vegetables. This is where the volunteers come into the picture, the food bank takes volunteers to help sort out the food so they can distribute it to soup kitchens, schools, homeless shelters, orphanages, etc. I decided to help sort out food because I felt it could help out a lot of people in need which would feel very rewarding once I was finished. I decided to volunteer at the Oakland Food Bank but there many other food banks to choose from in the area such as the Contra Costa County Food Bank, San Francisco Food Bank, Alameda County Community Food Bank, and many others a little ways out there (6). I’ve volunteered at the Oakland Food Bank, the San Francisco Food Bank, as well as the Contra Costa Food Bank throughout my life. I did my hours at the Oakland Food Bank because the Contra Costa Food Bank was full. Believe it or not, the Food Banks are constantly filled with volunteers, filled to the point where they do not have enough food to be sorted by the mass amount of volunteers so I was forced to volunteer at the food bank in Oakland. If you decide you want to volunteer at a local food bank but it’s full, there’s always a handful of other food banks to choose from. With the amount of homeless people living in the area (mostly Berkeley, San Francisco, and Oakland), volunteering at a local food bank can and will help out your community in many different aspects.

(Part 2)            Poverty and hunger are becoming huge problems in America’s Society today. In fact, it’s becoming such a huge problem that the government has decided to act and try to prevent people from starving. One of the methods the United States Government uses is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); also known as food stamps. This program is run by the Federal Government, the government distributes color coded cards to low-income/no-income families who need to eat. There are three different types of cards; Brown, Blue, and Green. The brown one’s are worth one dollar, the blue ones are worth five dollars, and the green ones are worth ten dollars. You can buy any pre-packaged food product from almost any store in America. This program helps over 20,000 Americans with one in eight adults using this program and one in four children benefiting from this. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program distributes an average of $133.12 per person on a monthly average (7). While the Federal government takes care of the national food stamp policy, the state governments help out with the local food banks in their state meaning the entire government is trying to help out those who struggle to survive.

(Part 3)            While there are many things that are being done to help feed the country, there are still many things that need to be done. The country as a whole is putting in a great amount of effort to fix this huge problem but with the economy falling into pieces and with the jobless rates soaring, we’re going to need to do a lot more than what we’re already doing. Although there are multiple food banks in most areas, we need to either create more or donate more food. This is because the food banks always have a ton of people willing to help out yet they don’t accept them due to the small amount of space they have and lack of donations to sort. The government has been helping but they need to set their foot down and actually make a huge impact whether it be growing government food or donating food to the needy. People need to donate more often, most donations are donated around Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other holidays but people need to remember that these families aren’t just hungry on these holidays; they’re in need of food everyday of their lives. From my experience of volunteering at my local food bank, I learned many things. One thing I learned was how fortunate I am to have food everyday because I discovered how many families are in need and how desperate they are to just eat some food. I also learned how easy and rewarding it was to truly help out people in need. I found it interesting how at the end of each day, the supervisor would weight out all the food and then calculate that into how many meals we sorted and how long it could support a family for. This was amazing because it really gives me an idea of how big of an impact I’ve made, the feeling really makes me want to come back and help out again. As said by Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” (8). While you don’t get paid in money to volunteer at the food bank, the feeling you get once you’ve realized you helped these desperate families live another day is more rewarding than any payment they could give you and like Mohammed Ali said, “ Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth.” (8).

            Many people help get food to feed the hungry and homeless in many ways whether it’s by volunteering at a local food bank or just donating canned food or other pre-packaged products. The government helps a lot as well; however, with the United States’ economy dwindling down and people constantly losing their jobs, the poverty rate in America will only grow and get worse. It’s only a matter of time before the entire population is jobless and starving which is why we must do something to put an end to poverty in America. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Everyone can be great because anyone can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t even have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…you only need a heart full of grace (and) a soul generated by love.” (8). This quote inspired me to volunteer and help out people who are less fortunate than me. I felt that volunteering at the Oakland food bank was the best use of my time to benefit my community as well as my country. It felt good to help out many families in need and it was also rewarding to know that I was a big part in helping feed the hungry. I met a lot of great people at the food bank and had a great time working there. This experience has made me realize how fortunate I am to have all these opportunities and privileges in my life. Now I am able to look at things from different perspectives and appreciate what I have much more. Volunteering at the food bank was a wonderful experience and I’d love to volunteer there more consistently to help get rid of poverty in the United States.

Works Cited

(1) "How Many Are Homeless in America? «." Hope for the Homeless. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://cflhomeless.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/how-many-are-homeless-in-america/>.

(2) "Answers.com - How Many People Die from Starvation Each Year in America." WikiAnswers - The Q&A Wiki. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_die_from_starvation_each_year_in_America>.

(3)http "Page Not Found." Feeding America: Hunger-Relief Charity | FeedingAmerica.org. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://feedingamerica.org/additional-pages/404.aspx?item=/hunger-in-america/hunger-in-your-community/real-stories>.

(4)http://www.washprofile.org/en/node/2295

(5) "Food Bank." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_bank>.

(6)"Find Your Food Bank - Bay Area Food Banks." Bay Area Food Banks, San Francisco Bay Area - Feed Hungry People in Your Community! Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bayareahunger.org/your_foodbank.html>.

(7) 1964, January. "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supplemental_Nutrition_Assistance_Program>.

(8) "Volunteering Quotes." Alpena Community College, Alpena, Michigan, USA - Future Students. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <https://www.alpenacc.edu/services/volunteer/quotes.htm>.