March 23, 2012

March 23rd was my last day volunteering at MEND. It was kind of sad, but it was also very eventful. We had another volunteer sale and Mary, my supervisor, put me in charge of charging for the items, because she had to leave early to go take care of her daughter (she had a doctor's appointment). I was a little nerve-wrecked, but I did it because she needed my help and it was quite a compliment. As I was ringing people up, I felt overwhelmed; I had no clue what to charge. Fortunately, Chris, Mary's assistant, showed up to help me out. Once we finished the sale, he put me in charge of counting the money and comparing it to the form we had all the purchasers sign. We did very well. It was a nice way of ending my service learning, because it gives me confidence that I can take charge of things and it is also nice to know that people can feel comfortable leaving me in charge. I hope I can go back and volunteer on my spare time: it has been a very rewarding experience, both personally and professionally. I am going to miss all the volunteers and the relationships I formed. I hope to see them all soon. Thank you MEND! :-)

March 16, 2012

On this day, MEND was pretty relaxed. When I got to the facility, they let me know that there was going to be another sale for the volunteers. I told Mary I had no clue that they were going to have another sale and she responded by telling me that they usually try to have them every Friday. When she told me this, it suddenly click: that is how they get donations to the facility. It's not a lot, but it is something that could help the organization. As everyone was looking around trying to buy something, I sat down and watched because I didn't want to get in anybody's way (these sales take place in our work area). So while it took place, I hung out with my supervisor's daughter, Yolanda, and we had a laugh or two with Christian, Mary's assistant. When we all finally got back to work, I hung up some clothes, covered up the items outside so the rain wouldn't get them and I helped out in taking the trash bin to it's designated area. Like I said, it was a pretty relaxed day.

March 14, 2012

Today I had a busy day at MEND. I hung clothes up, helped bring donations in, explained how things work in MEND's clothing department to some new volunteers and I helped Mary, my supervisor, count some of the money donated to the organization. It was a pretty hectic day, because I kept going in and out of the clothing organization;  I even met the man who is in charge of the donated money. Even though this was a pretty big deal, I think the biggest thing that happened for me was when a lady came by our department and was asking for help to take care of her children. Mary, being the good person that she is, told her that she could have anything in our department, which brought the lady to tears. Seeing her cry made so happy that we could do something for her and her family: It made me really emotional. The lady was so happy to pick things out and provide them to her children, who were there with her. Undoubtedly, that really made my day: Seeing some one struggling be able to have a shot at providing for their family is very gratifying. Moreover, another thing that was nice about today is the fact that Mary asked me to help her count the donated money, which, to me, is a sign of trust. I take that as a compliment and that makes me feel really good about my position in the organization. It was a fulfilling day today and I hope to encounter these types of day during my last days completing my service learning.

March 9, 2012

On Friday March 9th, I went to MEND to volunteer as usual. On this day, the organization was having a sale not for the indigent, but for the volunteers. I had no idea that this was going to take place, so I only watched. I thought it was pretty cool, especially since a lot of the stuff was sold at about 2 dollars (it was mostly clothes). While I watched, I sat with Jan, one of the volunteers who was manning the door. While we sat there and watched everyone buy stuff, she told me about how there are two guys that are constantly breaking into the organization and stealing some of the donated items. Not only that, they destroy certain things and they don't seem to care about the cameras. She told me that the organization has been struggling with this issue and they don't know what else to do. They haven't been able to catch them either. It's sad to hear that people have no dignity when it comes to stealing stuff from the needy. Good news, though, is that they are trying hard to get this problem controlled. I hope they will be able to guard the items: the indigents really need it and deserve it.

March 2, 2012

On this day, I went to MEND for 2 hours and 30 minutes, since the professor for my statistics class let us out early. I sorted clothes, put them in hangers and hung them up in the distribution center, where all the people get their clothes from. There was really nothing out of the usual. The only thing that was new was a lady that had come in to pay a ticket through volunteer work. Apparently she didn't have insurance on her at the time she was pulled over, so they fined her with $500, but she choose to do 120 hours of community service to pay it off: That's quite a load of hours. As I said previously, the day was pretty uneventful. I just got to chat with my friends/coworkers about the day and about music and television. It was a pretty nice and relaxed day. Maybe next week I will get to see a bit more of the organization's functions outside of the clothing department.

February 29, 2012

Today, when I went to MEND, they were having a special event going on; it was a baby shower for all the pregnant women that come to their facility. It was pretty exciting, but Mary, my supervisor, told me that they already had enough hands to help out with the event. Also, she explained to me that most of the women were upstairs, in the health center, getting information on prenatal care from health professionals that had come from Kaiser. Since that was the case, I ended up helping out in the clothing center by separating clothes that had come in, hanging them up in the racks and covering the stuff outside so they wouldn't get wet. While I was doing this, I got to bond some more with the volunteers that were at the facility. I found out a lot about some of the hardships that they had gone through in their lives and why they were there. One of the stories that really moved me was from this older lady that works at the facility. When we met, she was quite rude by hollering at me about messing up her work, but she came around once she saw that I wanted to help. As she explained to me how certain things worked, she ended up telling me about her life and how she has several grandchildren (I believe she said she has 21) and about how her husband passed away. As she told me this, I realized that she was carrying quite a heavy load on her, considering that she is by herself now and no one is taking care of her. I kind of wondered why nobody was taking care of her and why she was still working (she looked like she was in her 70s). If she has such a big family, why can't they come take the burden she has off her back? Indeed, she has gone through quite a hardship and so have the other ladies in the facilities. As a whole, it made me value my lifestyle and my things more than I did before. I didn't realize how much I have been taking for granted. No doubt, I look forward to learning some more from my new friends, as it will better my perception of life and guide me towards a brighter path.

February 24, 2012

Yesterday, I was able to go back to MEND to volunteer at the clothing department once more. It was really nice to see old faces once more. As usual, the ladies were very welcoming and friendly and I was even able to meet someone new this time. She was my supervisor's daughter (I forgot to ask for her name, but I will next time) and she was able to tell me a lot more about the organization. Yesterday, I learned that most of the people that are cared for at the facility come during the morning and that they are allowed 8 articles of clothing per person. Mary's daughter wasn't sure if they had to pay, but she said that they each got a ticket and they would have 20 minutes to pick out their clothing. Another thing I learned was that most of the people who work at the facility are volunteers who are trying to meet requirements for certain programs such as welfare or probation. I was shocked! I thought that most of the workers got paid. When I found out about this, I gained more respect for the volunteers because they do their jobs happily, which is very rare to see. Moreover, Mary's daughter told me that she was volunteering because she wanted to, which made me admire her a lot. Overall, yesterday was a very eye-opening experience that let me see the caring and empathetic side of society. I really hope next time I will be able to encounter some of the people that are helped by the facility. That way, I can ask questions about who they are, what their backgrounds are and how they feel about the organization and the people that work there.

First Day of Service Learning

        Friday, February 17, 2012 was my first day volunteering at MEND in Pacoima, California. Frankly, it was quite a tiring day for me and I didn't want to go, but I mustered up all the energy I had to go and meet with my supervisor and the staff I would be working with. I thought to myself as I was walking into the facility, "What am I getting myself into? I don't know if any of these people will like me." Once I entered the building,  I walked up to the front desk and met with the receptionist, who ended up taking me to the clothing store they have in the MEND facility. That is where I met my supervisor, Mary Castillo, who was the most welcoming and sweetest person I have ever come across. As soon as she asked me about myself, she gave me my first task, which was to check and see if there were any unused hangers in the racks of clothing in the store. I was able to finish that task in about an hour and fifteen minutes and as soon as I finished that task, I immediately asked the other workers if they needed any help. I was surprised at how welcoming and loving these other women were. Usually after a long day of work, people don't have the best attitudes because they're tired or ready to leave, but they were all very entertaining and very nurturing of me. We spoke about our commonalities and they asked me about school and about the service learning commitment I have for my health science class. I guess they liked me so much that at the end of the day, they even gave me flowers. I felt wanted and it felt like I was at home. I can't wait to see them again and see how further our bond grows as a staff and I, also, look forward to getting to know my supervisor further more.