On Saturday April 12th, 2014 my friends and I volunteered our five hours of our time to participate in Project Dance, an all school dance marathon that raises money for charity. I had gone to Project Dance a few years ago and had enjoyed the experience, so I was excited to do it again this year. It was extremely rewarding to be able to raise money for those who are less fortunate while also having a good time in the process. Just like the previous time I attended Project Dance, I expected there to be dancing, pizza, and various dance performances throughout the night, but this year I was surprised to see the school had gotten a mechanical bull to go with the Country Western theme. Although I didn't get on it myself, it was fun to see my friends try to stay on it the longest.
On Wednesday May 21st, I got the opportunity to volunteer my time at Feed My Starving Children located at 742 E Park Ave, Libertyville, IL 60048. My friend and I reserved a two spots for the 6:00-7:30 pm time slot and ended up enjoying the experience so much that we stayed for the 8:00-9:30 pm shift as well. Because it was my first time going, and I didn't know what to expect, I was a little bit nervous. But my anxiety disappeared quickly when we were welcomed with open arms by many friendly volunteers and employees. After my friend and I put on our hairnets, all of the volunteers gathered into the orientation room where we were showed a video that showed a hand full of the many children who receive the food they pack there. We were informed that we would be packing Potato - D, as opposed to the Rice that is normally packed. They explained that Potato - D was formulated to aid children who suffer from diarrhea and cannot keep nutrients in their bodies. When they said that Potato - D eliminated the diarrhea of every single children who ate it I was truly amazed and eager to get to work so even more kids could receive the nutrients they need to survive. During the first shift I was in charge of weighing each bag to make sure it had the correct amount food inside it. The second time I scooped the food into the funnel. As I did this I couldn't help but think of the people who would be on the receiving end. Although the bag was only about a third of the way full, I was astonished to hear that it was a shocking 12 servings, what I estimated to be only 1 or 2.
As soon as I returned home I immediately wanted to volunteer my time again. I spoke so highly of it that I unintentionally recruited join me, and we signed up for the next two available times: 6:00-7:30 pm and 8:00-9:30 pm on Friday May 23rd. Unfortunately I had caught a cold and couldn't handle the food, but I was given a different task instead: putting the expiration date labels onto the bag. Because this task is so simple and doesn't need to be prepared or cleaned up after, I volunteered to work through the half hour break between the two shifts, and ended up helping set up for the next group of volunteers. Similarly to Project Dance, I was surprised at how much fun I had participating at Feed My Starving Children. It was a truly rewarding experience and I plan on volunteering my time there regularly in the future.
