Humanitarian of the Year Part 2

The other day, I was given the opportunity to volunteer at a P.A.D.S. shelter. I have been involved with so many different community service projects, but helping the homeless was an experience that left the biggest impact on me. There is a mandatory training session so people know what to expect at the shelters, but nothing can prepare you for what goes on in these shelters. I got to the shelter at 6, an hour before the guests arrived for dinner. We heated up the food and set the tables. When the guests started to come at 7, the men claimed their sleeping areas in the gym while we set up the dinner buffet. There were about 20 men and there was only one woman who stayed at the shelter that night. The men stayed in the gym while the woman slept by herself in a separate room. Obviously, my original thoughts on this issue were that I felt terrible for this poor woman who had to sleep in a room all by herself in a church. Then I analyzed the situation in greater depth. This shelter was not a one stop shot at lifting these people out of poverty. Moving from shelter to shelter every day is the routine for most of these people. However, these people were not stereotypical homeless people you'd find in front of shopping malls with coin cans and cardboard signs with spiritual messages on them to persuade people to give them money. These guests were either coming from work or coming from the streets. The gym was almost full, and the bizarre thing is I have been living in my community for over 10 years, and I have not seen a single homeless person on the streets. After volunteering and helping these people, I was left with embarrassment and remorse because I've been so oblivious all these years. My parents work hard to make a nice living for our family, and I never realized how hard you need to work in today's struggling economy to support yourself. It didn't even cross my mind that people in my community would struggle as much as these homeless people do because I have been fortunate enough to have a dad who has never been out of work. By volunteering for P.A.D.S., I definitely became more grateful for basically everything I have. From little items like a new tube of toothpaste to pocket burners like camp and college tuition, my perception of materialism has most definitely been put in to perspective. I would without a doubt recommend this volunteering opportunity to anybody.