Kate Sanford Service Learning Reflection Delivery Shift

It seems it is human nature to try and picture something or predict what it will be like before one actually experiences it. This is exactly what I had done with Project Angel Heart before I had begun volunteering there. I knew that my job would involve driving around to different houses, but I had no idea what the nature of it would be like.

Upon arriving to pick up the food we were going to deliver, I was amazed at the organization and cleanliness of the kitchen and offices at Project Angel Heart. Also, the food looked phenomenal! The bags were filled with brightly colored vegetable soups and freshly made breads. It was difficult to not drool at the chocolate colored treats. It made it even more appetizing to think that it came from such a clean and fresh smelling place. It didn’t take me long before I concurred that PHA had quite a “method to the madness.” After all, they prepare food for approximately 700 people each week. It made me realize how important all the volunteers were in getting this job done. Without so much help from people in the Denver community, extremely sick people might not receive any help and would be left struggling. Although the task I would be carrying out that day would be small, it made me realize that all the small tasks put together are what make such an extraordinary product.

My professor, several other girls, and I loaded up the bags of food in the car and headed to a neighborhood located in the outskirts of Denver. To my surprise, it was just like any other neighborhood I would expect in the suburbs, and the people we were delivering to seemed like any other person one might see on the street. All of us walked up to the door, rang the doorbell, smiled and said hello, and handed them their delicious looking food. Unfortunately several people weren’t there so we just left the deliver outside the door with a note. I’m not sure how to explain what I had expected before, but for some reason I was quite surprised at the experience. It made me realize that people don’t have to be in a hospital bed to be extremely sick. Or perhaps this helps people to live a normal life and not be in a hospital bed when they are dying of a disease.

At first, driving around a random neighborhood seemed a little mundane, but after realizing how happy and thankful people were after delivering the food, it made the job we were doing seem extremely fun. One lady made so many nice comments to us that I though she might invite us in for a cup of tea. “Thanks you girls, be careful, have a great day, see you later,” she said. Upon walking up to the door I always felt a little sorrow for what these people were experiencing but it also made me very content to make these people feel like others cared and wanted to help them. I also felt proud of how delicious the food in the bag looked (even though I had nothing to do with that part… yet).

This normal, Saturday afternoon, opened my eyes to more than I had expected. I had specifically taken a service learning class to experience and learn about volunteering, but it hit me harder than I thought. I all of the sudden felt like it was a duty for every community member to put a little work into help into their community, because one day they may be the ones who need that help. Although I had been giving the gift of food all day, I also felt like I had received a gift of being content and joyful. It made me realize that being a good person and helping others was one of the best achievements in life.