Soup Kitchen Volunteer to Charity Organizer by Jason

Soup Kitchen Volunteer to Charity Organizer by Jason - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

I have been very privileged to have a roof over my head and food on my plate, a luxury others aren't always as fortunate to have. During my freshman year, I helped at the soup kitchen in San Francisco called St. Anthony’s. I spent 5 hours washing, cooking and serving the homeless and needy, and as I looked around, I became humbled and even inspired to find a way to contribute more. During my time at the soup kitchen, I got a sense of how lucky I am to have some of the basic necessities that many people take for granted. Blankets, food, warm clothes, and a bed are all things that a lot of us see as normal, but is viewed as a luxury by more people than we think.
As a member in my high school’s leadership class, I was tasked with the job of improving school and community spirit for the holidays. My thoughts drew back to my experience at the soup kitchen and the sense of fulfillment it gave me and the joy it brought others. So in response, I decided to start an annual blanket bash and donate all proceeds to a local charity. With the winter coming up and with it, cold weather, some no-sew blankets seemed like a perfect gift to the homeless. I soon gathered some like-minded friends and started planning our event. Through lots of publicity, we soon got the entire school excited for our event, and not before long, the entire community. Not only were people donating fabrics and other necessities to make no-sew blankets, but they also helped out by donating toiletries, socks and other small items. People who weren't able to give their time to physically make blankets still wanted to be involved and donated lots of materials and items instead. I was able to prep all the no-sew blankets and organize a time and place to hold my event as well as arrange food and music to get people in the holiday giving mood. I not only was able to get a lot of high school students involved, but also families and children of all ages, all coming for one night to help the homeless.
On the night of the event, we had a turnout of about 100 people of various ages come help make no-sew blankets, creating a total of about 80 adult sized blankets with all materials being donated. With my volunteers I was able to deliver the blankets to a local soup kitchen and brighten the day of many homeless people with the promise of warmth. We were able to deliver not only blankets, but bags full of toiletries and warm socks, giving those who took part in my charity event a sense of pride and accomplishment. I not only was able to start an annual event to help the homeless, but I was also able to bring my community together. My small community is one that isn’t very involved, it’s a community where school dances get cancelled because lack of ticket sales, and bleachers are empty for football games. So to come up with an event that brought people together to work towards a common goal is something special in itself. My event became a holiday gathering, with families bringing their children and socializing with strangers, together with the goal of helping out the homeless. It was an event that's been growing since its inception, with more and more people coming each year, excited by the chance to help out and meet new people joined together by the thought of giving back. However I was able to take it further by not only helping my community, but also help give back to those not as fortunate. I was able to take my experience of working in a soup kitchen and channel it into creating an annual charity event that not only helps provide the necessities we take for granted to the homeless, but also builds a greater sense of community within my small town.