Service in Seattle

As I was growing up I constantly saw the commercials on TV about starving children, found food drives on every corner, or noticed that soup kitchens were desperately searching for volunteers. I knew that world hunger was a real issue and I felt genuine sympathy for those who were suffering, but I never thought too much about the importance of volunteer work because I was stuck in my fortunate and very comfortable lifestyle. There was always that fear of the unknown when I thought of volunteer work and I let those hesitations block my view of an ugly side of this world, as well as the opportunities I had to help.

That all changed when I was selected to attend a trip to Seattle over spring break to serve people who suffer from food insecurity. I was so excited for this adventure, but that feeling was quickly overshadowed by the anxiety that I felt. I had almost no experience in volunteering, was headed to a city I had never seen, and was constantly wondering if I would really be of help to these people (not to mention I was about to spend a week with 13 people I barely knew 😅). However, with every pre-trip meeting I became more confident in our ability to be successful and was so excited for an adventure that was about to throw me out of my comfort zone.

My group was able to work with so many wonderful organizations during this time. Our first project was St. Mary’s food bank located just out of downtown Seattle. My biggest goal for this project was to turn this experience that many people see as uncomfortable and negative into something that would give them a laugh or a smile for the day. We spent our time laughing and dancing to the music and eventually patrons of the food bank began showing us their dance moves or laughing along with us. That was one of the most joyful feelings I had ever experienced and it will always be an extremely special memory for me. I will never forget those people who thanked us for the infectious smiles and the good laughs. We sent over 400 people home with food that day. I saw the eyes of so many ladies light up over something as simple as a bag of sweet potatoes, I witnessed the greatest sense of gratitude and humility that I had seen so far with every “thank you” and every handshake, and I felt such a sense of satisfaction in knowing these people could make it to another day.

We were also able to work with a group called Solid Ground located in a suburb just outside of Seattle. The concept of this garden was incredible especially because the people living in these communities had such limited access to functioning grocery stores or fresh produce. During our time here we were sent through the process of planting peas from start to finish. We worked to clean the ground, till the dirt, fill compost, and plant two rows of peas that will be sent and used in all different areas of Washington. This garden is run by a small number of individuals and I knew that by giving our time it took away some stress and I was happy that we could do that for them. The work we performed was very hard and I was exposed to skills I had never used before, but it was all worth it when we were able to step back and look at our finished product.

For the remainder of our trip we performed service at a non-profit called Lifelong. It was originally an organization that was centered around those suffering from the effects of HIV/AIDS. Throughout the years they have grown immensely and are now able to provide help with housing, employment, and food of all types. On the first day of working with them we were in charge of packing hundreds of single serving meals from start to finish. We spent hours chopping vegetables, doing kitchen preparation, cooking and packaging. I loved seeing our finished product packed into so many boxes and ready to be shipped to lifelong distribution centers across the state. I knew that those packaged dinners were going to give countless people across the state a sense of comfort and that was such a satisfying feeling for me.

We were able to see this entire process come full circle when we were sent to their distribution center on Capitol Hill the next morning. I was so amazed with how well organized and compassionate their staff and volunteers were. We were able to send people home with bags full of groceries, help the staff unpackage condoms that would be used in different pride fests/family planning centers, and we were even giving cute little cakes to people that were celebrating their birthdays that week. Every bag had a card of well wishes inside and every cake came with a happy birthday card that we had drawn earlier in the day. We were able to accomplish so much for the people who came through the door and had them leaving feeling happier than before which was so great to see.

I try to avoid any and all cliches and corny sayings, but this trip is the exception. This trip changed my life. It changed the way I see the world and gave me the courage to work for causes and people that I find important. This trip forced me to take risks (walking on the glass floor at the space needle 😬). I left this trip with 13 new friends that I love dearly and who have already impacted my life in the two weeks I have known them. They are all so courageous and compassionate in their own ways (not to mention damn hilarious) and I am extremely grateful that I was able to meet people like them.

I know that working on food insecurity will be something that I continue on with in my life. Instead of being nervous to see the scary sides of the world, I am eager to find more solutions. This trip proved to me how lucky I am to live the life that I do and have the most loving people around me. I now understand that I have the ability to spread the same amazing things that I have received and give them to other people so they can feel some sense of comfort and support.

A huge thank you to everyone who made this the best spring break so far. Seattle will forever have a piece of my heart.