ACTIVE CITIZEN FINAL PROJECTMy Experience

Overall Experience• My overall experience was a great one• I really felt like I played a part in something that was

greater than Gettysburg High School and myself• Everyone we worked with in setting up the volunteering

times (Pastor Mike, Nancy Lilley, and the Gettysburg Soup Kitchen) were so nice and helpful

• Caleb and I were able to complete in our project in the time frame we wanted and really enjoyed ourselves while doing

• While we were volunteering we got to work with an older married couple who were so nice• They told us what to do and what to expect

Overall Experience cont. • At the Soup Kitchen, we were able to help serve breakfast to the

homeless people that participated in the Gettysburg C.A.R.E.S. program

• We got to talk with the little kids that were there and help give them a nourishing meal to start their day

• I was surprised at how many homeless people there are in Gettysburg

• The blankets we donated will go to the homeless when they sleep at night in the churches through Gettysburg C.A.R.E.S

• The Soup Kitchen volunteers told us that some days there are up to 50 homeless people that come in for just lunch

• This experience helped me to realize just how many people are less fortunate than I am• Even in our small town!

What I Learned• I learned a lot from this Active Citizen Project• The most important thing I learned was the amount of

people that are less fortunate than I am in our small town• I also learned that our Soup Kitchen play a very vital role

in our community• They serve thousands each year and help anyone in need

• Volunteering through the Soup Kitchen was an amazing experience and throughout the entire experience they were so helpful to the homeless in the Gettysburg area

• I learned that it doesn’t necessarily take a lot to have an impact on someone, just your time and effort

Gettysburg Soup Kitchen Statistics

How I Made It Meaningful• I made the experience meaningful by trying to relate to the

homeless people that we served breakfast too• I spent the time talking with some of them and the other volunteers to try

and get a better understanding of what the homeless go through• It was crazy to think that I was going out to my car that my

parents just helped me buy and they were going back out into the cold, not knowing where their next meal would come from

• Talking to the homeless people really gave me a chance to see what their life is like and what they go through

• This experience was very meaningful to me because the whole time I was thinking what it would have been like to be in their shoes• And to be honest, I don’t know how the homeless do it every day

What I Could Have Done Better• The only thing I could have done better would have been

to contact the Gettysburg C.A.R.E.S program sooner• This way Caleb and I might have been able to volunteer even more

than we did• Caleb and I were able to give our time to the C.A.R.E.S

program, but after seeing how much help they need, I want to continue to stay involved

• Although we were able to donate blankets and give our time, I told the volunteer coordinator to not hesitate to contact us whenever they need help

Pictures

These are three emails I took a screenshot of between Nancy Lilley and myself in regards to setting up our volunteering time. The first email is me asking her when she has time available. The second email is her response with the dates available. The third email is a schedule of everyone that volunteered on the weekend of January 5-6.

Pictures

The left picture is a picture of the coffee that was made for the homeless to drink.

The right picture displays some hashed corn served over toast and some other food items we had out for the homeless.

Pictures

The left picture is of cups that Caleb stacked while we were setting up. The right picture is of me taking a tray to be cleaned.

Pictures

The right picture is of some food we had set out for the homeless to take for breakfast.

The left picture is of a table Caleb and I set for the homeless people to eat at. We had syrup, butter and salt and pepper available on the tables.

Pictures

These are pictures of me and Caleb loading and unloading the dishwasher after breakfast.

Pictures

Me setting a table for breakfast at the Soup Kitchen.

Caleb showing one of the two blankets we bought to donate to St. James for the homeless people to sleep with.

Footnotes• We were not allowed to take pictures of/with the homeless

for security reasons

Citations• History. Chart. Gettysburg Community Soup Kitchen, n.d.

Web. 10 Jan. 2013. http://soupkitchen.thecodedmessage.com/?page_id=42