ServiceLearningLog-MarisaRodriguez

Meal Delivery on April 26, 2008
2 hours worked

Saturday afternoon Shaun picked me up at Halls around 12:30. It was snowing outside which both of us though was completely unexpected. When I first got in his car, we discussed which route to take to Project Angel Heart. Colorado was the way that I had taken before, but map quest said that taking I-70 was a little faster. Shaun also thought that I-70 was faster because he had taken that route the day before when he went to his training for Dining Out for Life. During the drive we talked about how we were going to coordinate a meeting with our volunteer from Project Angel Heart so we could interview him. We also mentioned other shifts we had done at Angel Heart.

We arrived right on time. As we walked in, I noticed a group of boys from my floor who were also volunteering. They were completing hours for a wellness class. I talked with them for a few min while Shaun completed a driver’s liability form and read the instructions for delivering. Then we were given our route and our bags. No one instructed us too much because I had already completed a delivery shift.

Before taking off to our assigned houses, we tried to decipher our map. It was so difficult to know exactly where we were suppose to go because we didn’t know where we were in relation to the rest of the map; Project Angel Heart wasn’t included on the map. Shaun somehow figured it out and designated me as the navigator. It was probably the most shocking because the neighborhood wasn’t the greatest. I wouldn’t say that is was poverty by any means, but it wasn’t the nicest. Some of the yards were extremely under kept. The lade that answered the door had a walker and asked if I could place the bag of food on a shelf-like platform on her walker. As we walked back to the call, I recall saying, “I feel so sorry for her.” After leaving our first house, the the next two were in the same area. Though, we did sometimes take longer detours to get from house to house because the map doesn’t label all streets, making it difficult to know exactly where to turn and which street leads to what. The second house was a similar situation to the first. Some one told us to wait at the door, and then two young children answered the door. The little boy who took the bag, wasn’t wearing any clothes and instead held a blanket to cover himself. The older sister seemed a little worried maybe because she didn’t know exactly who we were. I could imagine who strange it would be having someone different every weeks delivering the meals. At the third house a man answered the door. His yard was well kept and he even had a cute little dog. He simply took the bag and that was it. For each house, we both walked to the door. We didn’t have to leave any of the bags on a client’s porch because each one came to the door. Getting to our last house was farther than the area of the first 3, but I didn’t mind much because it was the last house and it was only a little bit out of the way. I was humorous to note that when leaving DU, it was snowing, but making our way to Project Angel Heart the snow stopped. I remember looking out towards the city as we were driving and seeing the large clouds hovering. Where we were the sun was bright and shining but back in the city, we were pretty sure it was snowing.

After delivering to our last house, Shaun knew exactly how to get back. He said that we were on the other side of where I-70 crosses I-25. On the way back, we just chatted about our classes. We even talked briefly about Dining out for Life. Upon arriving back at school, we noted how our delivery didn’t take very long because it was just after two o’ clock. I was glad to be back since the weather was gloomy outside.

What I liked about this delivery shift was that I was able to go up to every door and observe the clients first hand. I remember leaving the first house feeling so sorry for the living situation of the client. After that house I decided that I didn’t want to judge or make assumptions. They were simply people and we didn’t know another about them except that they were receiving food from us. I remember again making a slight assumption after leaving our third house. I said “he seemed alright.” Shaun replied with something like “it must be hard living like that, I can’t even imagine.” He helped me remember that we weren’t there to make assumptions. We were there to help and at possible sympathize, but it wasn’t my place to assume because there was no way of knowing. This experience reminded me of one of our discussions in class of how we sometimes feel gratitude for our lives when we observe those who we perceive as less fortunate. This delivery shift made me think that I shouldn’t feel gratitude for my life by such observations. I shouldn’t compare one life to another, because everyone is different; everyone has their own experience to share with the world. Although I began making assumptions, I learned that I just want to be accepting and compassionate towards others, not judgmental.