From food banks to doorsteps to my computer...

That's right, I started the day out by heading to Center City to meet students for our first Service-Learning excursion to Philabundance. Two students came, which is fewer than expected, but we headed out and learned about hunger issues, and how this warehouse of a food pantry works! This is basically the place that provides food to food pantries and non-profits throughout the greater Philadelphia area. Our mission for the day (along with some other volunteers) was to sort donations from the supermarkets and from a food drive that a corporation held. People donate some crazy things (ex: 4 EMPTY containers of laundry soap), but we sorted, sorted, sorted, and threw away what we had to. The heartbreaker for everyone in the group was that Philabundance can't store candy that is packaged in bags-- and the grocery store had donated BAGS & BAGS of snickers, M&Ms, Skittles, and lots more. What did we have to do with it? THROW IT ALL AWAY. Sometimes I hate rules. The students and I all agreed that we should have found a way to save it. It was a great time though, a great organization, AND I was really glad to get to know some students! We had about an hour to sit and chat when it was over, and we talked about everything from service-learning to Tyler Perry to church life to car pranks.

Then I headed home and hit the streets. Yup. Time for some interviewing of the community. This turned out to be quite interesting... I needed twenty interviewees to participate for my research paper (that's due Tuesday!! yikes!), and it took me about three and a half hours. I had to knock on 72 doors in order to get all of my interviews done. I am about to start writing a paper about all of this-- but let me just say that it is crazy how on the outside alot of these houses look the same, but as soon as you step inside (which I did a couple times) life is completely different within the walls. Young people, old people, sick people, healthy people, Christians, non-Christians, busy people, bored people... you name it, I found it, all contained in two blocks. I had people tell me everything from how to witness to someone at the bus stop, to a guy (who I think it's safe to say was a bit under the influence) saying that the major issue in the neighborhood was that the Wu-Tang wasn't more involved. Churches need to be doing this, they need to go and knock on peoples doors and see what's happening. I loved it.

So now, it's time for me and my computer to spend the next couple days together-- writing papers... we'll see how it goes.