On September 14, I as well as a couple of other IA scholars went to volunteer at the Van Buren Shelter. At the shelter, we assisted with food prep for dinner and handed out food to the residents. We were able to see first hand how meals were made and disbursed among the people at the shelter. We prepared zucchini, squash, fruit, and main entrees to give out. We also assisted the main chefs with cleaning the kitchen and dining areas and washing the dishes. The best part was handing out the food to the residents. Many of them were happy to see us help out and lend a helping hand to keep their dining quarters clean. They were very welcoming of us and were really appreciative of our service.
Volunteering here relates to international affairs because homeless shelters isn’t only a problem in America. Homelessness is a very prominent issue throughout the world and although it is being addressed in most countries, it isn’t being dealt with fast enough. Many people suffer through homelessness and while the circumstances vary, overall it does a lot more harm than good. Helping these people out impacted me because it opened my eyes to the life that I knew very little about. The residents at the shelter were very big on having that community feel among themselves and sticking together to be there for each other no matter what happens. This made me very happy to know that the shelter isn’t a cold and hostile place but one where someone can come in and have a family stick with them and support them when in need.