The Hidden Community by Mira Angelia

The Hidden Community by Mira Angelia - May 2018 Scholarship Essay

One Volunteer Experience that I have had which had a particular impact on me was at the Presbyterian Church Community Food Pantry which I volunteered at about three times so far. Nevertheless, I could never forget the first time I came to help out as my very first time volunteering was the most impactful.
A particular issue that faces my community of San Leandro, is that there is a handful of low-income families and people who are barely able to put food on the table every night. I became more aware of this situation after volunteering with my youth at the Presbyterian Church Community Food pantry. As a volunteer, I was assigned to one station of the eight different tables stacked with various canned goods, produce, and utilities. During this event, I gave out sweets and bread to the line many different people of varying ages and ethnic backgrounds. My first impression of the program was that it was fairly organized and had a lots of contributions as boxes upon boxes were filled with goods donated from stores such as Safeway and Pak N Save. Once I got to my station, all I had to do was ask each approaching customer what type of pie or cookies that they requested. Throughout the six hours I was there, I had to consistently refill and reorganize stocks of cookies to look neat and more appealing to take. Luckily, while doing so, I was able to interact with my fellow volunteers while carrying boxes through the line and a couple customers. One particular fact which I learned from a fellow senior volunteer was that there are about 130 families that usually attend this community food pantries, meaning there are more than 130 children who are not as lucky as I am and are struggling more than I know.
Unfortunately, this type of community was hidden from me before I had volunteered here and it's hidden for many others in my community who would potentially want to make better the lives of our underserved in the community. A community of people who are not able to get their first picks in life and must be flexible enough to adapt to the best of their ability to the hardships they face. This gave me a great respect for all of the people who walked through this door for doing all that they can to provide for their children and families. If more members of our community helped in contributing time and resources to this project at the Presbyterian Church then there would be a greater chance to help these people get a better start on building back up.
Through volunteering at the food pantry I was able to: give back to the less fortunate, get to know more members of my
community, and send out hope and some positivity. Fortunately, I learned to build on my communication skills as I was able to talk to those in line and found that many of the adults that came through had lost their jobs and are still unemployed. The very first time I had ever volunteered at the food pantry was an humbling experience which gave me a greater appreciation for the privileges I have been given by my parents and loved ones. Coming to this event and helping serve the less-fortunate in my community rewarded me with an experience that motivates me to continue to volunteer and give some of my service to those who are in need which has thus far greatly impacted myself and my community.