Reflection

Going through my Capstone Project was a very difficult experience for me, as well as others. I picked really complex topics that, in all honesty, didn't make it any easier, but aside from this I did manage to learn a lot through it as well. And for that reason I sill decided to research this topic, knowing that it wouldn't be easy just made it a challenge.  I learned that there are many people out there who get little help when they're in need. The fact that male eating disorders and homelessness aren't very talked about subjects is a problem. The fact that all types of people are struggling through malnutrition in one form or another is saddening and there needs to be something done, so I thought helping at least one of the problems is a good way to start. That's the reason that I chose to help serve meals to the less fortunate.

Overall, what I personally gained from Capstone was not much. I honestly thought that since it was such a huge project I'd have gotten more out of it than I actually did. Socially it really limited my time with my family, friends, and my boyfriend. Although I did make a few friends at the shelter, it wasn't worth losing time with my loved ones. In all truths it did somewhat help me spiritually. It made me feel a whole lot better of myself that I helped those in need. It helped me in the sense that it pushed me toward helping. I had always wanted to volunteer and this helped me do so.

Throughtout this project I encountered constant challenges that I had no idea I would have encountered. My time was insanely limited with school, work, and volunteering. I struggled to find time for anybody with all these things going on. What made it worse is that I've had pretty bad anxiety these past couple of years and this project just made it all the more worse. To top it all off I still had to deal with irrelevant excess stress. Even though I had all these things happening at once, I continued to stay motivated and work myself until I finished all I had to do. I can finally say that I am done, for the most part, with my physical project.

Fifth Mentor Log

Saturday was the last day to complete my hours and I'm honestly so relieved that I'm getting closer to finishing my Capstone Project. It's usually the same routine and by now I'm already used to it. I check in with the day's supervisor and ask if he needs any help with anything or if there's anything I should do. That day we didn't need to make any fruit punch because we were just serving water and coffee. It always depends what supervisor we have. Since we were short on people I had to hand out trays to whomever was next in line, which is about the easiest thing you could do there. We gave out soup, rice, and cupcakes that day. I was upset since the man who was serving the soup used a spoon with holes in it so they couldn't get any liquid. I didn't understand why he didn't use a ladle, but it isn't my responsibility to be in charge of that so I didn't say anything. That really upset me because these people come to be served a good meal and they could have gotten more than what they did. You never know when their next meal is going to be and that's why they should be given the most that can be given. 

4/26/2014

Time: 5 hours

Total Time: 25 hours

Fourth Mentor Log

Yesterday I went to volunteer again and I'm really getting the hang of it. They made me and this other guy make the punch, which required a gallon of concentrate and five gallons of water all being mixed into a huge container. Volunteering there is just really sad. I don't think people appreciate all they have. Most of the people that come are insanely grateful and that's what makes it worth going. I think the saddest part about yesterday was that there was a little girl around 5 years old that showed up with her grandmother. The supervisor seemed somewhat upset that one of the volunteers offered the little girl a plate of her own, instead of giving her grandmother extra on her plate. I understood why because the portions they give are pretty large and that plate could have been used on another person. This day was fairly easy because there was no trouble and there wasn't a big mess left behind. I won't be volunteering Sunday because they won't be serving meals since it's Easter, which in my opinion is odd. To conclude this day, I'm really glad I'm getting used to things, but I'm happier that this is helping me help others.

4/19/2014
Time: 5 hours
Total Time: 20 hours

Third Mentor Log

Sunday I got the day off from work because it was interfering with my volunteering for the day. We met at the same place as the previous time. This time I wasn't as nervous because it was the same people as well. They were nice as always, but its a bit odd being with people who are much older than you. I helped them take out the ingredients this time and it didn't feel as weird as I thought it would be. Karla, one of the volunteers, talked to me about how they started doing all these things when there began to be a rise of homeless people in that community. It was sad, especially after I saw all those people the evening before, but I was glad to know that communities care enough to start things like this. My first batch of cupcakes came out bad and I was completely embarrassed because theirs came out perfect. They told me it was okay, but my cupcakes had to be thrown away since the bottom was all burnt and the top was still raw. Even though my cupcakes came out terrible, my brownies and cookies came out fine and I'm hoping whomever gets to eat them thinks they're tasty as well.

4/13/2014
Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 15 hours

Second Mentor Log

Saturday was my very first day serving for the dinner service of the volunteer program. When I was younger my dad had me and my siblings serve the homeless around Christmas time, and it was very similar. At the time I was much younger, but I still remembered how things went. I arrived and they sent me to my place to be prepared for the people who were about to arrive. They let me know that they wanted us, the servers, to interact with those who showed up. They said that some might not want to talk, so that we shouldn't have try to force it. Keeping a warm smile on our face was the "way to go". When the people began to arrive I was really nervous because I wasn't sure what to expect with them. Not trying to come off as a stuck up person, but in a way I get scared because I don't know the way all these people work. My job was to serve their plates with food. Most of them seemed really happy, so they would repeatedly say thank you and "God bless you", which made me really happy. Once they received their food we had to go around making sure they had water or coffee in their cup, and if they didn't then it was our job to refill them. When it was time for them to leave, I felt sadness because I knew that all the people leaving were leaving to a place they couldn't call home. I assume all volunteers feel this way the first couple of times, but I didn't think it'd feel that sad. I should start thinking about it in the way that I'm glad they managed to get some food into their stomach, rather than stay starving that night because we don't know when their last meal was or when their next meal will be. At the end of the day I was exhausted and proud of myself.

4/12/2014
Time: 5 hours
Total time: 11 hours

First Day

Since my topic was male eating disorders, I decided my physical project should either have to do with the medical field or something to do with malnutrition. I wanted to do something that actually impacted my life in a good way, so I chose to volunteer at a homeless shelter. They help those who struggle with the worst type of malnutrition. I contacted a few places, but I decided to volunteer with a church in the city where I will be baking and serving. Sunday was my orientation and my first day. They went over the basics of what I was going to be doing and in all honesty it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I met a few nice people who always volunteer, like a woman named Karla and Miranda. They were the two that showed me how things work most. They talked to me about why it is so important to have volunteers come by because they need the help in order to help those in need. I was nervous at first, but they made me feel welcomed after they told me it was really nice to have someone so young volunteer for them. Anyway, we made our way to the kitchen and pulled out all the ingredients, well I didn't, they did. Since I'm not that comfortable yet, I was a bit stand offish. We began to make brownies, cupcakes, and cookies in preparation for the next day, so I really enjoyed it. Overall I think I was nervous for absolutely no reason. Even though I didn't serve any people today I think they were really generous people and I'm looking forward to going again soon.

4/6/2014
Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 6 hours

Meeting

Since today was the only day in the last several weekends that I had a day off, I had the opportunity to meet with my mentor. We were together for around two hours, and we discussed the plan for my capstone physical project. We discussed things like my essay and how it was going now that I turned it in for teacher review. We also went into how I will be doing my hours and what I will be doing. I'm really content with the mentor I chose because she's a really easy going person, so communicating with her is fairly easy. The only thing I've been having trouble with is the little time I actually have to do anything on the weekends and after school, but I think I have my project under control. Hopefully I'll be meeting with my mentor again soon.

2/7/2014
Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours