Less of Me and More of Them

For my Service Learning, I worked at the Stanwood Camano Food Bank on Fridays. So far I’ve put in 10 ½ hours doing a variety of jobs between recycling old boxes, organizing donated plastic bags for groceries, restocking food, filling up containers full of laundry detergent, and helping the many men, women, and children that come for food take the loaded grocery cart to their cars.

When I first arrived to the food bank I can’t recall having that many expectations. I came with a ready heart with the motivation to be as much help as I possibly could. Being there really helped reopen up my eyes to how much I take for granted. Every day I have fresh food to eat, clean clothes to wear, hot water to my dispense, a car to drive, and roof over my head. Many low income families can’t take these things for granted. Having the leisure to take a long shower, toss clothes in a washing machine (in your own home) because you got a small stain, choose from a variety of food options and drive your own car; those things all cost a considerable amount of money and too much of one thing might take away from something else more important.

Giving out food and other toiletries reminded me to be thankful for what I do have and it challenges me to reconsider what’s really important in life. Do I really need to drive my car every day, or could I carpool with someone on occasion? Should I really concern myself about eating something I may not like? Do I really need to spend a dollar on junk food from the local vending machine? What if I left the lights in the house on a little less? Do I really need to use the dishwasher or could I live without it and wash everything by hand? Though it’s nice to treat myself on occasion, If I spent a little less time on myself, I could spend more time impacting the lives of others in a positive way. Life is short, why not make a difference and show others less fortunate a ray of hope.