Hannah service learning log 2

For my second experience with Project Angel Heart, I completed a meal delivery shift on Saturday (4.26.08). Driving to PAH was somewhat difficult because of the unusual cold weather and traffic, however we arrived just in time around 1 pm.. Already volunteers were loading the trunks of their cars with colorful bags of food. After we went inside, a coordinator handed us the necessary paperwork--driver information sheet, detailed route list and map, and confidentiality agreement/code of conduct. The last piece of paper instructed on the importance of being discreet in making deliveries to protect the people receiving the food from stigma should their neighbors find out. It also suggested that volunteers be brief in making deliveries, and not to help recipients outside of delivery under any circumstances. Once the forms were read and filled out, another coordinator carted a load of food out to my car.
Map in hand, we set out west into the Lakewood area to make five deliveries. It took about 10 minutes to make it to the first stop, a nicely kept small white house. They were scheduled to receive four bags; however no one came to the door. We had to leave the bags on the porch, with a blue warning notice. Off to the next home, we delivered a bag to a young boy on behalf of his relative in a well- kept apartment complex. Music blasting in the background, he understandably took a minute to answer the door, but he did he thanked us with an enthusiastic smile. On to the third stop, we maneuvered to a formal apartment building for elderly persons. We had to make two deliveries in this particular building. The first was to a vision-impaired man on the sixth floor. To enter the building we had to buzz him on the intercom and tell him we were making a delivery. When we reached his door, I carefully placed the bag in his hand. He was the friendliest and sent us away with a big smile. The next stop was a man on the first floor. When we knocked he told us to come in, which caused us to hesitate because the rules indicate not to come inside the homes and put away food, but we weren't sure if that was the case and entered with caution. Inside, an elderly man, probably past his seventies, was gradually lifting himself off his couch and easing towards the door. He used a walker and was wearing an oxygen tube. Immediately I realized that he needed us to enter because it was hard for him to walk much less carry the heavy bag. We placed it on the kitchen table for him, and he was delighted that we brought one bag filled with only breakfast foods. "Is this the goodies?" he said before smiling and thanking us for coming. The last stop was made a few streets over in a fourplex. Two casually dressed women opened the door, asked how we were, and took the bag with a boisterous "thank you!" Back in the car, we wondered why we had two extra bags of food left, if we supposedly finished our last delivery and realized that it belonged at the first stop. Thankfully, Laura brought her portable GPS fondly named "Sally". "Sally", with her loud monotone voice, directed us back to the first house, where we dropped the bags on the front porch once more, and soon we were back on the highway.
The delivery shift lasted a little over an hour, and was not what I expected. Locating the houses was easy and uneventful, however the brief glimpses into people's lives was interesting. It surprised me how self-sufficient the blind man appeared to be, by walking to the door unaided and taking the bag. Knowing that I was going to the homes of people living with serious illnesses, I expected there to be an ominous mood throughout the day. In contrast, the people were lighthearted and friendly despite their obvious and not-so-obvious circumstances. PAH said to be prepared for anything, in terms of the people's response, such as waiting until you leave to pick up their food, and even though it did happen, it didn't seem as peculiar as I thought it would be. What I like about delivery compared to kitchen duty is that you get to actually see the people that PAH are helping. It is in these fleeting moments in unfamiliar surroundings that you realize the need some people have to feel that their welfare is a priority. It was an honor to help them briefly, though I wished I could have done more. Compared to being a student at DU where life's necessities are easily accessible, it was eye opening to see how some people don't have the luxuries that we take for granted like a good meal. It put things in perspective for me, and made me even more grateful for the provisions I have, and the opportunity to share them with other people.