We're all on this journey together by Alexa

We're all on this journey together by Alexa - January 2024 Scholarship Essay

“They’re just looking for a handout.” I’ve heard this many times, mostly from adults passing judgment on those less fortunate. I don’t believe people are looking for a handout. I believe they just want to be seen as equals on this journey with us through the joys and struggles of humanity.

We are given the gifts of time and talent. Through our journey, many of us also accumulate more things than we need. The challenge is to not waste those things, but to invest our time, talent, and treasures to create a more vibrant life for as many people as we can.
When school let out for the summer, I helped my family clean out our cupboards and quickly realized we had accumulated more food than we needed. I packaged the extra food and brought it to the Warminster Food Bank.

I learned the food bank had gone from serving 450 families annually pre-Covid to serving 3,000 families a year. Rising food prices were also increasing demand. The food bank volunteers had donated over 5,000 hours of their time since the beginning of 2023. I decided to join them to help those struggling with hunger. I organized a small food drive, collecting and donating 77 pounds of food, and I decided to volunteer at the food bank for the summer.

My duties were simple—sort and bag groceries—but the experience was profound. As I worked, I watched and listened to the stories of those who came in search of food.

A man who lost his job had a family with three children to feed. I felt sad for the children, then I saw one of them. I recognized the boy who had come to help his father carry the donated food home. He was in my class at school! HE WAS JUST LIKE ME, except he was hungry. A woman came in asking for food. She had escaped the war between Russia and Ukraine. She was scared, spoke little English, and had a baby to feed. Then a man came in. He, too, needed food and we were able to provide what he needed for his family. It was only later that I heard his story.

Our director’s car, the main delivery car for the food bank, broke down earlier on that hot summer day, and he was unable to restart it. A man (then a stranger, but the same man who visited the food bank later that day) saw our director needed help. He offered his assistance and, together, they were able to restart the car. Our director thanked the man who started to walk away. Then the man turned and said, “I need some help with food.”

The man didn’t have much, yet he saw another human being in need and decided to act. He shared his time and talent in a small act of kindness that had a ripple effect and helped many people that day.

Volunteering at the local food bank this summer was just a small investment in my community. I provided my time, talent, and just a single set of hands. But those hands were part of a bigger movement that helped 3,000 families avoid hunger.
Sure, I could have spent my summer relaxing at the beach. Instead, I chose to invest my time, talent, and treasures to bring sunshine to others. We’re all equal on this journey together through the joys and struggles of humanity. Shouldn’t we all help each other?