When I attended the Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research at UC, Berkeley, I noticed a distinct separation between the campus and the homeless. Almost instantly off campus, there was a whole field, teeming with tents and hungry people. I decided on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2022, I would go volunteer with my cousins at the Bay Area Rescue Mission in Richmond. Once we arrived, I noticed that the area was like that of Berkeley—streets and sidewalks overrun with the hungry and impoverished homeless.
A picture of my sister and our cousins at the Bay Area Rescue Mission. I am on the far right!
Here, there were two rooms—one where the Bay Area Rescue Mission members sat and another where anyone can come in for a fresh and hot meal. There was a Thanksgiving feast lunch that we participated in. There was a variety of jobs to attend to. There was a water and pineapple mango juice station where we had to fill up cups to distribute to whoever wanted them. There were also pieces of pumpkin pie and mini salads that we gave to the people. The main meal consisted of mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, slices of turkey, stuffing, and gravy.
There were constantly many people filtering in to eat, and we ended up feeding more than 50 people at once. This experience truly shows you how impoverished and in need some people are. That is why I decided with my cousins to volunteer to help those who want only a hot meal. The Bay Area Rescue Mission feeds people 3 times a day—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—every day of the week. I highly recommend volunteering for them if you can. It filled us with joy knowing that we gave people a hot and fresh meal on Thanksgiving! You can get involved here, and I hope that you guys do!
- AnthroManTalks
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