Coming Full Circle

Upon arrival to the Second Harvest Food Bank of NO, we were whisked into the volunteer debriefing room to learn the various missions of the Food Bank and what we were hoping to accomplish on our last service day. After a short intro lesson to the disassemble, then reassemble, line we started on our fast-paced goal to pack 20,000 pounds of food. Chaperoned by two of our now adopted family, Mr. Charles and Mr. Vince, it began in a hurry, as our token boys on the trip were unpacking food out of boxes with an amazing zeal. Cruising down the conveyor belt, they were then sorted by individuals by pushing them into separate rows. They were then weighed in boxes, labeled and stacked on crates to be taken away. We became extremely efficient as a team of about thirty people as we worked with a group from Stewart Enterprises. With music playing, we rocked out a rhythm of packaging box after box of canned foods, dried goods, beverages, snacks, desserts, household products and condiments. With a goal in mind, we were committed and motivated, and before we knew it, we had almost hit our goal.

On one of our breaks we were able to take a tour of the warehouse and able to get a more full idea of what the Food Bank provides and is capable of. One of the most exciting of these is their community kitchen they just finished. It is used for cooking classes, which educate the public about healthy, affordable options for meals. After seeing the cooking-show style kitchen, we moved on to see the production kitchen, where they worked to serve 101,525 meals to 35 various sites with their Summer Feeding program, just one example of their programs directed at ending hunger. This was an exceptional process, facility and program for our students to hear about, as it opens up ideas for future avenues of focused work and potential fields of occupation.

After all was said and done, we totaled 21,270 pounds of food packaged, beating the previous record set by the Navy of pounds in a day! Yes, the Navy. Reflecting upon the day, we took most time to discuss the people of New Orleans. At the heart of our motivation for coming down on the service trip, the people of New Orleans have proved to be welcoming, hospital, thankful, and personable. While maintaining all of these qualities, they continue to be positive and uplifting. We have seen, through many various examples, the import of family and community for these citizens. They establish an extremely personal and comfortable relationship even with just a first introduction. We have seen a passion for life and an inundated sense of celebration here. They are proud of their culture and the only place they will ever call home, which was not at all shook by Katrina.

Finishing up the day, Stewart Enterprises invited us to their head quarters to show us Six Feet Under: Impact of Katrina on Stewart Enterprises. It was a video their company had made interviewing survivors of the 80% flooding of New Orleans. With their 600 employees at the time, they worked to make sure everyone was somewhere safe and unharmed. Interviewees recounted their tales of being split up from their families, having to deal with the spilling of crude oil to ruin 27,000 houses, taking out rescue boats, and of losing everything they had worked for their entire lives for some. Most could delineate between two lives of pre- and post- Katrina. Their slogan, “Caring for people, Making a difference” was seen in their actions they took to make sure their employees still had jobs, a place to live and food after the storm, even keeping FEMA trailers in the parking lot. One of the most touching scenes in the movie was the filming of hand-made cards sent from elementary kids from bordering states with such sentiments as: “We care a lot about you!” and “Is your family alright?” A few of those that shared this experience, Laurie, Brian, Kathy and others, made a great impact on us by first working together and then taking the time to show us their stories of weathering Katrina.

This last day of service remained positive and energetic throughout the day as we relished in a closing, uplifting project. We were able to see a large-scale impact of feeding over 17,000 families in New Orleans. It was a wonderful way to wrap up an emotionally varying, hard-working, and event-packed week. Not only was the day an incredibly phenomenal experience for all, we found out the soup kitchen we volunteered with at the beginning of the week is provided their food from Second Harvest. So, we have come full circle in seeing the interconnectedness of a community and how we can reach so many lives with just a few days of commitment.

With these days of service, we are able to see just how much we can accomplish as a few individuals in a community. With this in mind, we hope to share our experiences with family and friends; as well as maintain our service as we return back to SLO, fulfilling the mission of Alternative Breaks. 

December 14th: An Enlightening Experience

Our third day of service was with Green Light New Orleans. This organization offers free CFL light bulbs (the swirly kind), installation and removal of old incandescent bulbs. The students were broken up into 4 groups. This day involved close contact with community members and keyed students into personal experiences with Hurricane Katrina and continuing issues of poverty.

 

One group had the opportunity to spend half the day building a garden for a community member named Miss Dolores and the other half installing new light bulbs. The gardening experience was incredible. The students built a garden plot out of cinder blocks and planted vegetables, such as collard greens and strawberries. Miss Dolores was described as the sweetest lady ever with the warmth of a grandma. Another benefit to planting the garden was the idea of giving Miss Dolores a gift that would continue giving and helping. Neighbors around Miss Dolores saw her garden were wanting one like it as well – hopefully this will be an enterprise to spread all throughout New Orleans to get fresh produce to the community.

A different pair of students partnered with a Green Light interns to install light bulbs. As they ventured into the community, they noticed a disparity between the lower and higher income families. One student noted how she noticed that the lower income families had few other pieces of technology outside of televisions.  Video game consoles, computers, radios and other pieces of technology are common in most Californian households, but here these items were often absent. However, the families being served were incredibly grateful and would even try to donate at least a small amount to Green Light. This is contrasted to the high-income household the students saw. This household had a large home, complete with a TV in front of the toilet. Obviously, this is a very different situation than that of the families with lower incomes. However, the students noted that they did not feel as if the wealthier household was as grateful because they did not make a donation. The students had a good time getting to know the intern and interacting with the different families they helped.

           

 

The next group had a much different experience with the people they served today. The first couple of houses they went to had a limited number of light bulbs they could install due to heights and what not. They also witnessed some difficult situations – poor housing conditions, difficult landlords and signs of illiteracy revealed some of the things that community members are dealing with. Even though it was sad to see such things, the students appreciated the insight into the reality many people are living with in New Orleans.  Their day was brightened upon meeting Miss Mary, who was really hospitable and nice. After the hurricane, she tried to live in a trailer in front of her house but someone else was blocking her. She has had to live in several different locations, hotels and apartments, but is looking forward into her home in the near future.

            The fourth group of students had a really positive experience meeting community members and bonding together. The highlight of the day was Mama Deb. About halfway through the day, the group went to her house to install some light bulbs. She requested for only a couple of students to go into her home. The students that helped Mama Deb installed light bulbs and got to hear stories about Mama Deb’s experience with Hurricane Katrina. She ad stayed through the hurricane and didn’t leave until it had passed a week later. One of her tales recounted how she was watching her friend’s grocery store. Since the food was going to go to waste, a couple of guys were told to cook it all up. People from the neighborhood and military personnel would stop by for community dinners and to share a drink. Mama Deb also spoke about racial issues in her neighborhood. She told one story about the time she was hanging out with a white guy, and in response to some dirty looks from another black woman, Mama Deb began to hug and smooch her friend. The other woman was offended by such interactions between people from two different races and actually reported it to a couple of police officers near by. The officer, also being from different racial backgrounds, told the woman that if she closed her eyes that she wouldn’t see anything – dismissing her prejudice and forwarding an attitude of tolerance and acceptance. Though racial issues are sometimes thought to be completely resolved, Mama Deb reminded the students of its continuing presence and the benefits of those standing up against it.  The students also got to talk to other people who were here during the hurricane. One man told of how he almost missed the evacuation cut off and of his return to New Orleans, which was left without electricity for more than 8 months. He told of dark nights with the sound of gunshots in the distance but no way of seeing where it was coming from. Once more, the students got a deeper and more personal understanding of what happened during Hurricane Katrina and the still-continuing consequences. It was a great experience serving people with such good attitudes after facing and while facing such difficult circumstances.

New Orleans 2011: Southern Hospitality

The past few days have been a blast for everyone, but now we're all settling into the time change as well as the culture differences between Louisiana and California.

Last night at the soup kitchen we got a first hand look at how the population of New Orleans is still being affected by the poverty brought on by the natural disaster. The students working the soup kitchen saw how even through these trying episodes, the openness and kindness from those being served is steadfast. By working together on each individual kitchen assignment, we were able to keep a very efficient pace while still being able to interact with guests and see southern hospitality from a typically unseen perspective.

Today we switched the volunteer activities for each of our two groups. The first painted a house built in the 1940s in Lakeview that was torn up by the hurricane. The owner's name was Noel and she is still working on restoring the original designs piece by piece. After Katrina hit, the water in her home was not drained for two weeks. There was severe soot and mold in every corner of the house. This lead to her decision of complete restoration to its original fashion. All the stories we have been hearing are giving us all new perspectives and teaching us how effective it is to share your story with somebody else.



The other half of our group volunteered with Hike for KaTREEna, the same organization the first group served yesterday. Today there were trees planted in newly renovated hurricane-affected areas. These areas were beautiful and the high spirits of the residents was uplifting. They were interested in where we were from, why we were serving, what we were studying, and truly thankful for all Katrina volunteers. While planting trees we listened to stories ranging from why Ms. Teresa's dog is named Courage as well as how long it took before families were able to move back. One resident even made us collared greens! We also planted trees at a local park and found it very rewarding when a father and son began to play together as we finished our project.






Tonight the second half of the group will serve at the soup kitchen then we'll make stir fry for dinner and hope to keep the good vibrations happening and meet some new friends in the hostel!

New Orleans 2011: Day 1...The Adventure Begins!

It's been a great start to this incredible trip!  Everyone got in last night and explored the city a little.  Then today half of the group worked with Hike for Katreena an organization dedicated to replanting the thousands of trees lost in the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.  They set out across the city and planted more than 30 trees in residents' yards.  Along the way they met some amazing people and heard their personal accounts of Katrina.  The other half of the group worked with St. Paul's Homecoming Center a nonprofit that connects volunteers to rebuilding projects.  They painted an entire house, putting the finishing touches on a project that has been almost 6 years in progress.  After a long day of painting the house looked beautiful.  Then we drove through the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, the region most destroyed by the floodwaters.  It was eye-opening to see homes still boarded up throughout the partially rebuilt neighborhoods. After a short break, half of the group went for their shift serving dinner at a soup kitchen.  Then we had a delicious dinner and decided to explore the nighttime in New Orleans.

A glimpse into Cal Poly's Alternative Breaks Service Program

I Love New York!

As a mimic to Robin’s Final Thoughts, I cannot believe that exactly one week ago, I was leaving one of the most amazing cities in the world. New York, described in the simplest terms, was just remarkable. A city of tall buildings, lights, adventures, diversity and the most amazing food I have ever tasted. The characteristic that stands out the most though, is its’ people. No matter what the activity was, I never talked to a New Yorker that wasn’t authentically friendly and willing to help some semi-lost Californians navigate the subway. The Food Bank workers however were the cream of the crop. Every single day they come to work to with a selfless heart and contagious joy. Their spirit inspires me to do better.

I came on the trip expecting to change the lives of others, however; I left the trip changed. For the week, I was removed from my happy little SLO bubble and placed in a city out of my comfort zone. I soon realized that poverty was no longer a distant word and going hungry is an ordinary occurrence for its’ inhabits. Hunger is so easy to cure however one in five New York residents cannot attain their supply of food without the help of the Food Bank for New York City. The Food Bank is such a great organization and it was amazing to help them out for the week. Each day, I helped by doing a variety of tasks but I always left knowing that I helped to make a small positive difference to a big city.

The Alternative Breaks program is a perfect combination of volunteering and tourism. I was not only able to help New York but I had so much fun experiencing all of the sights, lights and sounds. I was able to go to Times-Square, see the Statue of Liberty, take in a Broadway play, shop until my wallet had a hole in it, dance at the Apollo, stroll through Central Park, and so so so much more. It was amazing to experience this alongside other Cal Poly students who quickly became incredible friends.

Spring break for me consisted of 18 hours of travel, 13 Cal Poly students, 7 days and one amazing life changing experience. Not only did I gain 5lbs from all the delicious food and desserts, but I gained lifetime friendships and memories. It is hard to describe my week to other people but I think that these four simple words do it best, “I love New York”. I miss the city and the people so much already but know that they haven’t yet seen the last of me yet.

Megan Holbrook
4th yr. Business Major

Final Thoughts

I can’t believe that just one week ago, I was packing up to say good-bye to New York City after one of the most fun and eye-opening weeks of my life. I had the best time serving in New York City on the 2011 Alternative Breaks trip and am excited to engage in more service at home in San Luis Obispo.

I think that what amazed me most about this trip was the altruistic spirits of each of the students in our group; their excitement to serve others and desire to make a difference were clearly apparent in their attitudes and actions. Our service ranged from preparing and serving meals at a soup kitchen to delivering meals to the home-bound elderly to packaging food for distribution at the Food Bank for New York City, but whatever our project was for the day, the enthusiasm of our group was contagious. It was amazing to see 12 students with such a great passion to serve.

In English, we use one word to describe all kinds of love. In Greek, however, different kinds of love are described with different words. Agape is the Greek word that is used to describe the giving of ones self for the benefit of others, the manifestation of a commitment to service. When I think about agape, I think about the 2011 Alternative Breaks crew- Sami, Eric, Tiana, Giana, Jessica, Megan, Maddie, Shannon, Jake, Jenna, Cassidy, and Jesse- you are all amazing and have inspired me think outside of myself about the much bigger world. Thanks for the great week, I won’t ever forget it!

Robin

4th Yr. Animal Science