An evening in our Food Pantry and Clothing Center

Angie, a Bishop Kelley High School student, volunteered in our Food Pantry and Clothing Center and we asked her to write about her experiences one evening. We love her thoughts on these brief encounters with some of our neighbors in need:

"Helping at Catholic Charities once can have a positive impact on anyone. However, volunteering there every other Thursday will surely have a lasting effect. One Thursday, I had the opportunity to take a borrowed camera and a notepad with me so, I could take pictures and notes.

I helped a mother and her son in the food pantry by translating for her since she didn't know how many pizzas she could take. The food pantry is probably in need of Spanish speaking volunteers.

There was a man by the name of Scott whose mode of transportation is rather interesting. Scott showed up at the food pantry to take what is usually assigned to him just like everyone, depending on the size of the family. I helped Scott with trying to find the best grapefruit. The softer it is, the sweetest it will be but it has to be consumed in no more than a week. I got pictures of Scott but forgot his signature, so I went outside to catch up with him. That’s when I noticed his bike and the dog kennel. When Scott explained how he built it, it sounded more complex than from looking at it. It was a dog kennel with training wheels that were attached to the rear of the bike. I got his signature and watched as he drove away; I prayed the bike wouldn’t tip to one side with the weight of all the food.

Later, I helped in the clothes section by helping a little girl find shoes. Her feet were small, so she was a size 11. The girl wanted either pink or glittery shoes; I found her an aqua pair of shoes. We were both rooting for that pair but still looked around for more. However, I found a white pair of Vans. I told her, “Guess what? They’re your size!” She jumped in triumph. So, she took the white pair of shoes even though one shoe was missing a shoelace. I took one from another shoe."

Original story by Angie Victoria, Bishop Kelley student