Assessment essay!

On the Streets

An essay on Volunteering at the W.A.R.M shelter

Pine Point Eighth grade English

February 2011

Did you know that around 3.5 million people in the United States are homeless and that around 1.35 million of them are children? At the WARM shelter and many other homeless shelters around the world are aiming to change this. Throughout all of my research I have realized that homelessness is much different than I had interpreted it to be and I would like to show all of you what I learned, much like Atticus, from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee taught his children, Scout and Jem, about Racism, stereotypes and all of the news from Maycomb County, the town in which To Kill a Mockingbird takes place.

Before I chose WARM I considered volunteering at many other various sites for the assessment project such as the westerly animal shelter or apple rehab, but once I looked at the WARM shelters website I knew it would be a good place to volunteer where I could make a difference. When I first logged onto the website I saw that there really were lots of people who are homeless or living in poverty and that by volunteering my time at the WARM shelter would really help lots of people who are less fortunate than I am. After searching the WARM shelters website further I stumbled along some statistics for homeless people and realized that my idea of how many people are actually homeless was not accurate at all, much more people were homeless than I thought. Once I found out that so many people are living in homeless shelters or on the street I realized that if I chose the WARM shelter for my assessment site I would make a big difference to the homeless or poor people who go to the WARM shelter for meals or actually live there. I also realized that if I worked at the WARM shelter I would learn more about homelessness and poverty, which would be a good thing because my idea of the two topics was not even close to what homelessness or poverty are like. As I was considering the WARM shelter as a site to volunteer at for the assessment project I began to grow curious and began to wonder what the people who are living in poverty or who are homeless are like, How they acted and how being poor or homeless has affected them. I also wondered what the people looked like, in movies and TV shows homeless people were portrayed as people who wore rags and sat on the side of the road begging, but I wondered if this was really true. After seeing the WARM shelters website I decided that volunteering there would be a really great learning experience. I would have a chance to talk to people who are homeless or poor and see what life is like for them, and if they really are who most people draw them out to be. Besides learning more about homelessness and poverty themselves I also thought it would really teach me how to appreciate what I have in my life even more. Considering all of these facts or ideas I decided to start volunteering at the WARM shelter in Westerly.

          During the time I volunteered at the Westerly WARM shelter I had to deal with many challenges. Lots of times, as I was serving lunch, I would have to deal with a poor or homeless person who came for a meal, but constantly tried to get seconds when seconds weren’t aloud yet. I found this challenging not only because I had to deal with the person trying to get more food than they were aloud to have, but also because I had to say no to someone who seemed so hungry and couldn’t afford to buy food for himself. Every one of the few times I had to tell someone seconds weren’t aloud yet I felt awful inside because I knew that they were struggling and were hungry, but I wasn’t able to give them the food that was right in front of me. Another challenge I faced while volunteering at the WARM shelter was that one night a drunken man with a short, dark grey, beard, dark, dark eyes, a heavy winter coat, blue jeans and a flashy green Celtics hat came in to the WARM shelter while I was serving dinner. When the man entered the room it was obvious he was drunk because he was talking strangely and he seemed unsure when he was walking. The man ate his dinner, but then asked for some to take home and even though the WARM shelter doesn’t allow takeouts the man who was running the WARM shelter that evening let him this time because he didn’t want to upset the man because he was drunk and might do something irrational if he was rubbed the wrong way. One other problem I faced while serving at the WARM shelter was having to balance it with other extra curricular activities that I take part in. A couple times I had to reschedule a visit to volunteer for a soccer or basketball game, or I would have to skip a sports practice so I would be able to make it to an assessment visit at the WARM shelter. When this happened I would have to try to contact Joy, the women who runs volunteer services at the WARM shelter and tell her I wouldn’t be able to make it to volunteer and try to find a time where I could make up the visit I missed or I would have to e-mail or talk to one of my sports coaches telling them I wouldn’t be able to go to a practice. Although I did face some challenges volunteering at the WARM shelter I feel that it was worth it.

          While I volunteered at the WARM shelter I believe that I made a big difference and really helped people out. Probably the biggest difference I made when I was volunteering at the WARM shelter was when I helped feed hungry people. Everyone who came to the WARM shelter was in need of food because they couldn’t afford to buy food for themselves. Just by giving the people who visited the WARM shelter one meal it meant that they could breathe a sigh of relief, they wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to eat today or whether what they were eating was safe to eat. Another thing that I did while I volunteered at the WARM shelter that also made a difference was just giving some company to the people that came in for food or shelter. Lots of people who are homeless or poor are often lonely due to the fact that they are normally out of work and often they don’t have or are not in contact with their family. Most of the time I just talked with the people of the WARM shelter about sports, TV shows, news, weather and really just what people normally talk about, but I think it really made a difference and made people feel good. During my time at the WARM shelter I believe that I really made some peoples days. People who come to the WARM shelter normally have a pretty tough life, but when they come to the WARM shelter it’s sort of like a break or a breathe of refreshing air, they don’t have to worry about how hard life is and they have the chance to just sot back and have a nice meal. In many ways the WARM shelter is like a community, many of the people who go for lunch know each other, they all have their own set of rules and they all help each other out. During my time at the WARM shelter I feel that I really made a difference.

          All of the research I did for the assessment project really helped me understand the people that arrived at the WARM shelter every day for food. Through my research I was able to discover that lots of people, not only in Rhode Island, but around the world are homeless due to mental disabilities. I found out that in just Rhode Island 40% of the people who are homeless due to mental disabilities. When I learned this it made me feel extremely sad because their struggling, trying to find food to stay alive and it’s just because they were born with a disability. I also learned about how lots of children in RI are living in poverty and many of them don’t even have an adult with them. I discovered that 22% of children in Providence, Rhode Island alone are living in poverty either because they don’t have parents to help them grow up or because their parents don’t make lots of money or make no money at all. At the WARM shelter when some kids my age or even younger came in for food I was extremely sad and I became even more disheartened when my research came to mind and I realized that they were just a couple out of many poor or homeless children living in Rhode Island. One ting I learned about in my research that actually made me happy was learning all about the WARM shelter. I found out more than I had known before, such as grants they have applied for, how they are a non profit organization, how lots of their food come through their donation, all of the different programs they have to help feed or house the homeless and much more. Learning about all of this made me happy because it showed me that times may be hard for a lot of people throughout the world, but some people care and are trying to make a difference. Throughout all of my research I learned a lot about homelessness and poverty and it strengthened my understanding of them both even after volunteering at the WARM shelter.

          In English class we have recently been reading the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee very closely and have noticed many themes or messages in the book that also were present during my time at the WARM shelter. In To Kill a Mockingbird determination is a theme that comes up time and time again; I feel that determination is also a theme that occurs at the WARM shelter. In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout and Jem are constantly trying somehow see Boo, or Mr. Arthur Radley and never give up, Atticus is also extremely to win in court to prove Tom Robinson innocent. At the WARM shelter everyone who comes in is determined to turn their life around no matter how much effort it takes and the employees are determined to make a difference and really help the people who are less fortunate than them out. I also noticed that treasures were a reoccurring theme in To Kill a Mockingbird that also came up while I volunteered. Scout and Jem treasured the gifts and small trinkets that repeatedly were found in the knothole of the tree by the Radley place and Aunt Alexandra treasured her set of rules saying that all girls should be ladies and such. At the WARM shelter many residents hovered over their food as if it were a plate full of solid gold and others seemed to be hypnotized by their phones or I-pods as they looked off into space, completely unaware of what was going on around them. Finally I noticed that teaching was a theme from To Kill a Mockingbird that also was apparent at the WARM shelter. In To Kill a Mockingbird Jem taught Scout about all sorts of things ranging from football to roly polys and Atticus also taught the kids all about how racism is wrong and how everybody is equal. At the WARM shelter lots of residents were teaching their fellow residents about all sorts of things such as the outcome of last nights game, whether they were in for another big snow storm and lots of other things that were very similar. While I volunteered at the WARM shelter these were some of the themes that I saw that were also apparent in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

          If I had the chance to go back and volunteer for the assessment project again there are a few things that I would do differently my second time around. Although I did talk with some of the people at WARM I feel I could have interacted with the people a little bit more. When people came for food they would just pass by me as I served them and then I wouldn’t have the chance to talk to them. I also believe that I could have talked with some of the people that actually worked at the WARM shelter and learned more about the history of it than the website itself provided.  I also feel as though I may have had a better experience if I had volunteered more at different times. When I volunteered I volunteered I served lunch every single time except once, If I had volunteered more to serve dinner I believe I may have gotten a better learning experience. The one time I volunteered at dinner I noticed people I didn’t recognize from my previous visits during lunch and wondered if different people came for food at different times and maybe they could have told me interesting stories and shown me even more aspects of homelessness or poverty than I had received by serving mainly lunch. One other thing I feel would have made my time at the WARM shelter more valuable was doing more than just serving. I rarely did anything but serve food, and although this was a great experience I believe it could have been even better if I had done other tasks more often. In another part of WARM they have a place where people can go for clothes, much like goodwill except it’s free, and I feel this could have been a great way to learn more about poverty or homelessness and I could have made an even bigger impact as well. If I ever have the chance to volunteer at the WARM shelter again I will definitely make sure I incorporate these ideas as I volunteer.

          I believe that working at the WARM shelter has actually changed me as a person. I now have a better sense of homelessness than I ever did before. I had the chance to really learn what homelessness is like, and now I know that almost all the movies that draw out the homeless as grouchy old people wearing rags isn’t true at all. Even if people are homeless they can still be extremely nice, kind and normal people who don’t wear rags and at the WARM shelter I got to see this first hand. While working at the WARM shelter I also found a greater appreciation for everything I have, the fact that I have a house to live in, food to eat and lots of luxuries that lots of people all over the world can’t afford. I also realized that at times I might feel like I have it bad like when my parents say you can’t watch TV or if they say “No! We won’t buy that for you!” but if you think about what all of those tough men and women out there who have it much worse than me you really realize that you are very lucky. As I volunteered I gained a greater appreciation not only for the things I have such as food and shelter, but a greater appreciation for everyone around me such as my family and friends because many of the people at the WARM shelter have very few friends and it seemed as though a lot didn’t have or weren’t in contact with their families. I also found out what so many people throughout the world are coping with. After doing lots of research on the topic of homelessness I realized that lots of times homelessness is worse than I had interpreted it to be. I also realize that people on the side of the road, holding up cardboard signs are actually homeless and aren’t just trying to get easy money, and I actually do feel bad for them, which is more than I could have said before I volunteered at the WARM shelter. I feel that when I volunteered at the WARM shelter that I really did change.

          In the United States alone 3.5 million people are homeless and around 6,000 people in RI, one of the smallest states in the United States, are homeless as well. At the W.A.R.M shelter I saw that many people are trying to change this and thousands of non-profit organizations in the United States are trying to help out with the issue of homelessness and poverty as well. After volunteering at the W.A.R.M shelter I also realized that books and reality aren’t actually that different. In to Kill a Mockingbird and at the W.A.R.M shelter I noticed many themes that were in both such as teaching, treasures, determination and many more.