Day 1 Perspective by Maya Bian 

Today was the first day of service on our ASB trip. Our theme is centered around ‘wealth distribution awareness’, so our service focuses on learning about the challenges people in poverty face and how to best serve and help those communities. We had a really early morning (woke up at 5:45 AM) in order to make it in time to the Jeff Street Baptist Community to help with some of their outreach initiatives aimed at helping people in need. When we arrived, the pastor, Cindy, spoke to us about the importance of providing a comfortable and welcoming environment for displaced or homeless persons. She spoke about the history of work the church has done in the community, including the creation of Choices, Inc., which provides housing for a multitude of individuals and families who otherwise wouldn’t have places to stay. After she spoke to us, we broke into two groups; one of which I was in that stayed at the Church to make and serve breakfast for the homeless, as a part of a daily program the Church puts on, and another that painted an apartment unit in one of the housing options that Choices provides, that was being prepared for the arrival of an elderly woman who had been forced out of her home by con artists. 

We used 120 eggs to create a number of breakfast burritos, guided by Larry, an active volunteer and cook at the Church. He instructed us through the process, and with six of us completing the task, we finished cooking in about 40 minutes. What was amazing was that Larry would do the same thing multiple times a week, serving the same amount of people, but all by himself. It made me think about the huge impact that even one person can make—Larry provided a much needed meal by simply caring and lending a couple hours a week. And the appreciation felt by those who received a meal was expressed by ‘thank you’s’ and smiles. 

After the breakfast, our group headed to the property the other group had gone to, to do some yard work while they continued painting. We sawed at thick, overgrown branches that covered a fence, and deconstructed a large pile of branches and limbs. During our work, we noticed a man coming down the street. He was stumbling sluggishly side to side, very often becoming off-balanced and falling down. He ran at the wall of the building next to the side walk, and when he fell, started moaning while lying on the ground. The man who was assisting us who was affiliated with Choices, Brian, immediately recognized the man as under the influence of ‘spice,’ or what we later found out was synthetic marijuana. He called the police, and after awhile it and an ambulance arrived as well. He told us that the man would most likely be held for 72 hours to detox, and that afterward, would be offered the choice to go through rehabilitation. It was the most sobering moment of the day—to witness the severe effects of a drug that had far-reach in the homeless community from a place of privilege across the street, volunteering in the hopes of helping that community. It brought into context the complex and real issues that some people in that community struggle with, and brought to question how we can help them.

Our last service activity of the day was volunteering at a newly opened thrift store to sort through all their donations. It was opened by Louisville Rescue Mission as a way to raise funds from the larger community to support initiatives to help at-risk youth and homeless persons. Our work there, as a group of 15 people, cut down on time the organizers would have to spend on straight labor, so that they can better focus their talents on planning the initiatives the money generated by the store goes to. So although it was tedious and more of indirect service to the community, it was an important site to go to, and helped emphasize the importance of every form of volunteer activity.