Helping Those in Need by Jaelyn

Helping Those in Need by Jaelyn - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

Constructing boxes for people to recycle their cans and bottles in was the easiest part of my service project. On the contrary, dealing with the homeless man that was stealing and upset was completely unexpected. Going into this project, I did not anticipate that I would run into any complications while collecting recycling.
My project’s objective was simple: to collect and recycle the empty cans and bottles that would otherwise be thrown away. Each can or bottle is worth five cents in Oregon so I would be cleaning the environment while also raising money for a local scholarship. The volunteers that assisted on the project helped me construct make-shift recycling bins out of cardboard. These bins would be placed around my school’s football stadium. As the first home football game was approaching, my brain began to wonder if I was going to receive any recycling. All my peers were hopeful and assured me that I would receive more than I thought. While I sat front row with my boxes in sight, each time a child or an adult dropped in a bottle or can I felt a little rush of excitement. Everybody that walked by with an empty bottle was encouraged to discard their recycling in my boxes. I got compliments for my idea and encouragement to do this project for future games. A woman even went out of her way to find me and say: “I love this idea, you can tell that you worked hard on it”. As I was beginning to feel proud of myself, a man walked by with big, black trash bags in his right hand and a glove on his left. Watching him dig through the trash for bottles and cans made me realize that I was taking away a human’s source of income. I inferred that he was using the recycling to support himself or provide food to his family. I was taking away his money and I felt horrible.
Near the end of the game as people began rushing the field, I saw the plethora of recycling left behind by the fans. I knew that if I collected all of it I would receive major compensation for the scholarship. I had recruited many volunteers to assist in cleaning up. As we started clearing the stands, we saw the homeless man racing to collect the abandoned bottles before we did. He then yelled down to me and asked what I was collecting the cans for. I proceeded to tell him that it was for a club scholarship at the high school. Before I could finish my sentence he harshly interrupted me and said, “I gotta pay rent, man”. I left the high school that night upset at myself. I knew that instead of raising money for a scholarship, I would raise money for him. Homelessness in America is a growing problem. Aiding them by simply collecting cans is an easy way to assist them. While doing this project, it inspired me to help the situation of homeless people near me.