St. Martin de Porres Soup Kitchen
Last March 28, I spent 3 hours of volunteer work at one of San Francisco soup kitchens. Actually, it was my first time to volunteer at a soup kitchen, and at first I really did not know what they do at a soup kitchen. I thought it was an institution for the orphans. I was amazed to learn that it is not an orphanage. I thought we’re going to feed children, for I love children. But as I entered the place, I was greeted by haggard looking people beaming at me. I was not really disappointed, in fact I was so happy to be there and to deal with those homeless people and learn about them.
When I was still in the Philippines, I thought that in America hunger and poverty did not exist. I was impressed by the American standard of living based on the pictures and articles that I’ve seen in the magazines. I said to myself that the people in America are so fortunate compared to the people in my native country and other Third World countries where most people barely eat a meal in a day. It never dawned on me that hunger and poverty are also one of the major problems that Americans are facing. I saw a lot of homeless people living on the streets. How I pity those people!
My volunteering at St. Martin de Porres opened my eyes and touched my heart. I’ve never seen so many people very eager to eat as if they haven’t eaten for days. As I watched them eating, I saw different expressions on their faces. Some looked so hopeless and desperate, others looked like they were comfortable despite their miserable and poor life, while others looked like they did not care what happened to them and they just depended on others for their food. There were also people who looked hopeful and hoped that their fate will somehow change. I’ve learned a lot just by watching those people. It seems to me that the America I once admired was now changing. This showed that the economy of this country is getting worse every day.
The citizens, not just the government, should help one another to resolve this crisis. The plight of these people can’t be settled by just staring and blaming one another. We don’t need to wait for the government to take action because there are many problems that the government is dealing with and they can’t solve all those problems at one time. People should take action. I admire those hard working people at St. Martin de Porres Soup Kitchen who devote their weekends in serving their hapless fellow citizens. I’ve never seen so many people who spend their weekend volunteering instead of shopping and having pleasure. I can see their love and dedication in their work to help those homeless people, and they truly deserve to be honored in their endeavor in helping unfortunate people and for making San Francisco a better place for the people.
Janice (Jen) Oloresisimo
Abraham Lincoln High School
San Francisco, California
Janice
